Kinsey's Revenge
by Stargate Fan
Summary: REPOSTED! Kinsey goes crazy and takes his revenge out on Daniel. Pretty ugly stuff here and some language, too. Please Review!
1. Introduction

Introduction "I hate them. I hate them all. SG-1 ruined my life. And I will have my revenge." Robert Kinsey To start, read chapter one. The adventure begins... 


	2. Chapter 1 Capture

The usual disclaimer applies here, I don't own Stargate SG-1, THEY OWN ME! Oh, sweet obsession!

**Chapter 1 - Capture**

Daniel Jackson was exhausted and weary, glad to finally step through the gate into the SGC and end this god-awful mission! He'd been off-world for almost two weeks and could hardly wait to have some down time to relax and get some much needed rest.

He loved his job and all the excitement of the travel, the new cultures, and the new people who had not seen humans from earth before. He also loved doing the research and translating the unknown script, using his linguistic skills to unlock the mysteries of the written word. When he successfully found the key to a particularly difficult language, he was elated and his spirits soared, knowing he could finally read something that had been written hundreds - maybe thousands of years earlier by another person, who had absolutely no idea that it would be read by him in this time.

And sometimes, he just wanted to chuck it all and go home. Today was one of those days. He was bone weary from the long, tiring mission spent on a planet 380 light years from earth. This latest trip was a back breaker that led through forests, over hills and rocks, and the ruins were 15 clicks from the gate. It rained almost every day so they had trouble keeping the fire going at night and their clothes never dried out completely. The smell of wet wool and mildew clung to everything after the first week and the temperature dropped a good 40 degrees over the duration of the trip. Snow piled up and the last two days were spent struggling through drifts at least 4 feet high. His legs and feet were cold and sore, and he was so tired that by the time he arrived at the base, he just wanted a hot shower, something to eat and a bed to crash in. Unfortunately, that was delayed as SG-17 came through the gate with 3 injured marines one hour before SG-1 came through, so the post mission physical was fast and they were asked to come back tomorrow. That was fine with him. He headed for the locker room for a much needed shower and as the hot water poured over him, he felt the aching muscles finally warm up. 'God, I'm tired,' he thought as he changed into his jeans and sweater and made tracks for home!

As he drove off the base in his Jeep he realized he was hungry and he thought about what he wanted to eat. Fast food just wouldn't cut it and after all this time, the contents in his refrigerator would probably classify as top secret science experiments, ready to crawl away as soon as he opened the door. Remembering that he had his favorite pizza in the freezer, he opted to go straight home and forget fresh groceries until later. He was just too damn tired for anything else and the pizza would be quick and easy.

He changed his clothes for his gray Air Force sweats which were more comfortable to sleep in later. He was finally warm and content and ready to settle in for a quiet evening in front of the fire, a glass of wine to relax with and then bed. Especially the bed. He was so worn out he would probably sleep throughout the weekend!

The timer buzzed so he headed for the kitchen and shut the oven off, ready to take the pizza out when he heard a click.

He looked through the door to the living room and saw a shadow pass by the fireplace. "Sam? Jack?" Maybe one of them stopped in to see him before heading home. He walked into the living room to see who was there but he was completely dumbfounded when a total stranger took a step into the room and came at him. Daniel turned toward the kitchen but he was tackled from behind, his eyeglasses flying. He rolled over and kicked the guy in the arm, and as the guy let go, he scrambled for the kitchen but saw two men entering the back door. He backed into the corner and tried to remember his training but they came for him. He ducked and desperately tried to reach for the phone on the coffee table knowing that if he could just get it long enough to hit the speed dial for Jack, he might have a chance of getting Jack's attention. Just as he knocked the phone off the cradle, he was pushed face first into the carpeting, his legs and arms pinned down. "Hold him still," one of them ordered and pushed a handkerchief in front of his face. He struggled to free himself and tried not to breathe in the chloroform but it was no use. He felt an overwhelming sense of the blackness closing in on him and instantly knew that there was nothing he could do. In seconds, he was completely out as they hustled his limp form out to a waiting van that was backed in the drive way.

When he came to, he was lying on his stomach on a sour smelling mattress, with a headache the size of Texas pounding in his skull. The rough texture of the lumpy mattress felt abrasive on his face as he turned his head to get away from the smell.

As he looked around, he quickly realized that he wasn't at home in his own bed. His confusion lingered like feathery clouds floating through his mind. Putting coherent thoughts together was difficult, at best, but it was all starting to come together piece by piece. Slowly, he remembered the men entering his home and subduing him.

His memories of how he got here were fuzzy, at best as he tried to make sense of the situation he was in. He had a vague recollection of lying on the floor of a moving vehicle. And one elusive memory nagged at him. Had he been on an airplane? The unmistakable feeling of landing, the sensation of G-forces, was tickling his brain like little invisible fingers but he couldn't quite grasp it.

He sat up and took in his surroundings. The room he was in wasn't very large and the cement walls and floor were damp and smelled of mold. His wristwatch was gone so he didn't know if he had been in this room for a few hours or a few days. He heard a noise outside the door and jumped as it banged open, bouncing off the wall and two guys came into the room and stood on either side of him. He quickly backed up to the wall and thought, 'These two goons look like they could be tackles for the Denver Bronco's. Oh crap! I've got a really bad feeling about this!'

"Okay, Sleeping Beauty, time to get up. You've slept long enough and the Boss wants to see you!" The guy nodded toward the door and then waited.

Taking a page out of the Jack O'Neill Sarcasm Handbook, Daniel said, "No, thanks, guys. I'm quite comfortable where I'm at."

He was roughly hauled to his feet and punched in the face and stomach repeatedly by both guards, leaving him gasping for air. His head snapped back brutally with each blow, causing his ears to ring and he soon was overwhelmingly disoriented. Then they threw him back to the floor and kicked him repeatedly with steel toed boots, impacting his ribs and leaving him breathless as he curled himself up to avoid the blows. He heard a crack and felt an intense burning in his chest as his ribs broke, making him nauseous. Bleeding heavily from both his nose and mouth, he watched as one of the guards held a handgun to his head, and ordered him to get up. He tried to rise but the room seemed to spin around and flip which caused him to fall back over. He closed his eyes to cope with the vertigo and felt his arms being practically jerked out of his shoulder sockets as the guards roughly pulled him off the floor. He promptly threw up and wasn't in the least remorseful to see his vomit land on one of the guards boots. With an exclamation of disgust, they manhandled him out the door. He was unable to gain his feet as they dragged him down the hall into a large room. He was told to kneel as they threw him forward but he lay sprawled, stomach down on the floor, unable to move. 'Oh, damn. Who did I piss off so badly they want me dead?' He tried going through the list of people who had it in for him, but he was having trouble thinking clearly and nothing came.

His eyes were starting to swell shut and the inside of his mouth was lacerated in several places, along with a split lip, causing him to leave a smear of coppery tasting blood under his face on the cement floor.

The man pacing on the other side of the room walked over and stopped to look down at him. "Dr. Jackson. How nice of you to join me. I take it your accommodations are to your liking?" He laughed and slowly walked around Daniel and eyed him amusingly, taking in the injured man.

Daniel laid there mute, not believing what he was hearing. 'I know that voice! This can't be right. Vice President Kinsey? That's not possible! I have to be in an alternate universe or this is all part of a nightmare!'

"So, did the boys rough you up a little bit? I told them they could have a little fun if you didn't cooperate." He laughed as he walked around Daniel and then knelt down on one knee next to him and said, "Look at me, Dr. Jackson."

Daniel's eyes were mere slits as he tried to look up but the room was tilting at a crazy angle so he closed them again.

Confusion and disbelief took hold of Daniel's mind as he cried out, "You're dead! I saw the Al'Kesh blow up!"

"No, that's where you're wrong. You see, Baal beamed me out of Osiris' Al'kesh at the last second." Kinsey's cruel eyes glared down at Daniel in a look of triumph.

"Why? Baal wouldn't do anything to help you unless he benefited from it." Daniel's vision was starting to double and he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. 'This can't be happening!'

Kinsey stood up and took a few steps away and then turned back.

The men lifted Daniel from behind by his arms, causing him to cry out, as pressure was exerted on his shoulders and his broken ribs screamed! They forced him to stand, pulling his head back and leaving him moaning as he looked up, eyes watering from the agonizing pain. Robert Kinsey moved closer to him and seemed to think for a moment.

"Okay, since you asked … after the Tollan were exterminated, Baal got his hands on the symbiote suppression collar. After he beamed me out of the Al'Kesh and onto his cloaked mother ship, he used the collar to give me dominance over the symbiote and convinced me that he would remove the Goa'uld if I would cooperate with him and tell him everything I knew about the Stargate Program. Since I was on the Appropriation's committee and I had a mole in the SGC, I knew a lot. Thanks to you and O'Neill, my life on earth was over so I figured, why not? I had nothing to lose. So, we made a deal. I would funnel information to him that I got from my man on the inside and in return, he would get that damned Goa'uld out of me. After I told him what he wanted to know, he sent me to Cimmeria, to Thor's Hammer. You know how it works. The symbiote inside me was killed and I was free. Then Baal beamed me back to Earth, convinced that I would continue to get him information."

He circled Daniel again and said, "Now, isn't this interesting? The last time I saw you, Dr. Jackson, we were on the Prometheus and I was your prisoner. Isn't it ironic? Now, you're my prisoner." He chuckled to himself, obviously pleased with his astounding wit.

"So, you betrayed your country?" Daniel was totally shocked! "You were always talking about 'God and Country,' and then you went ahead and sold out?"

"What country?" Kinsey roared back. "I don't have a country! Henry Hayes made sure of that! He forced me to step down and the public humiliation left me furious!" Kinsey was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, contemplating his next meal. "I couldn't get a job as dog catcher! Now, the only thing that matters to me is to get even! Jack O'Neill is going to regret getting in my way and he's gonna feel sorry when I dump your sorry, dead ass on his doorstep!"

"You'll never get away with it. Jack will hunt you down and you know it!" Daniel slumped between the guards, feeling the blackness coming for him. It was all he could do to stay conscious.

"He'll never catch up with me, he's not smart enough! Dammit, I was the Vice President of the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world! If I'd played my cards right, I would have become President, eventually. You ruined everything!" He nodded to the third guard and that one punched Daniel in the stomach for good measure to emphasize Kinsey's point, causing Daniel to double over and gasp as the broken edges of his ribs scraped together, leaving his eyes watering. Panting, he tried to hang on but he was fading fast.

Kinsey continued, "So... I had you kidnapped and brought here. You will pay for all the times you got in my way, Dr. Jackson. Believe me, I'm gonna get even with you! Eventually, you will die, but not until you've suffered."

"Don't count on it, Jack will find me!" Daniel could barely whisper his words.

"Daniel, you underestimate the control I have over you. You see, nobody knows where you are. O'Neill started a manhunt immediately, but, they won't find you so don't get your hopes up." He smiled menacingly. And, my mole on the inside at the SGC has been keeping me informed for years through the NID. If he keeps giving me the information about the SGC, I keep his identity secret. If he decides to back out, he goes to jail. So, I'll find out how the investigation is going and I'll kill you and get away before they even get close. He gives me information about the SGC and I send it off to Baal. Once Baal takes over earth, he promised to let me rule the United States."

"And you believe him?" Daniel could hardly believe his ears! 'How could Kinsey be so stupid! Baal will just kill him and put in a minor system Lord that he can control. Kinsey is too much of a wild card and Baal knows it!'

Kinsey didn't hear the question. He believed Baal trusted him and that he was the perfect choice for the job.

Daniel was horrified at what Kinsey might have already told Baal ... National Security concerns, and all. He really had gone over to the 'dark side.'

"It's all over Daniel. Accept it. You're a dead man!"

"No! Jack won't give up."

"You're a fool, Daniel. My informant reports that he already did!" Kinsey cackled like a brainless idiot!

The guards let go of Daniel and shoved him forward to the ground. He sank to his knees and fell over, feeling his head hit the cold concrete. 'Jack will find me. He won't give up until he does. I just have to hang onto that thought.'

Kinsey rubbed his hands together in glee and walked over to a table and said, "You belong to me now. And the sooner you accept that fact, the better." He turned toward Daniel, aimed a zat gun and pulled the trigger.

The last thing Daniel heard before the jolt of electricity coursed through his battered body was laughter. And then he gave up and spiraled into a deep, black tunnel of darkness.


	3. Chapter 2 Oh For Cryin' Out Loud!

**Chapter 2- For Cryin' Out Loud!**

Friday, 0730 found General Jack O'Neill, Leader of the SGC, at his desk, going through a mountain of paper work. This part of the job was unrelenting, but it had to be done. So he plodded through the stack of paper, industriously working his way toward the bottom of the mess.

He had some questions about one of the mission reports that Daniel had written so he phoned Daniel's house but there wasn't an answer. Odd. Daniel was pretty emphatic about wanting to go home and get some sleep. So, why wasn't he there? He rang up the guard shack and asked if Daniel had signed in, but the guard said no. 'Now that's really weird.'

He called Sam's lab and asked her if she had talked to Daniel today.

"No, I haven't talked to him since yesterday when we finished up in the infirmary. I don't think he plans on being back until Monday. And, even if he was here, you know how he is when he's working on something interesting. The whole world could blow up around him and he wouldn't notice." She laughed a little. "Have you called his lab to see if he's there? He might have come in for something."

"No, he's not on the base. Don't worry, I'll find him." He hung up and dialed Daniel's cell phone. No answer. This was peculiar. Daniel knew better than to be completely out of the loop. He twirled a pencil around his fingers and he thought about this. 'Come on, Danny. You gotta be home. You were too tired to be up this early.' After tossing the pencil into the cup on his desk, he grabbed his jacket and went to find Teal'c. He had a nagging feeling that Danny was in trouble. Again!

Teal'c was in the gym, teaching hand-to-hand combat techniques to a group of airmen. When Jack approached them with a worried look on his face, Teal'c told the airmen to take a break and said, "Is there a problem, O'Neill?"

"I don't know, T. Daniel's not answering his cell or his home phone. He couldn't wait to get home last night and he looked whipped. I doubt he went anywhere this morning. I'm gonna head over there. Wanna come with?"

Daniel's car was in the driveway, so he had to be home. They knocked on the front door and waited but nobody answered. Teal'c raised one eyebrow and headed around the sidewalk that led to the patio door and found out that it had been broken into.

They quietly entered the house and immediately noticed that there was blood on the carpeting and Daniel's phone and eyeglasses were lying on the floor in the living room. "Teal'c," Jack whispered, "check the bedrooms and bath, I'll cover the rest of the house."

They separated and then met in the kitchen. The oven door was open and a cold pizza was sitting on the rack. Daniel was definitely gone and it was obvious he hadn't left of his own free will.

"Damn it! Let's get back to the base. I'm going to send a team over here to check for fingerprints but I don't think we'll find anything."

"O'Neill, is it possible he had an accident and is currently in the hospital."

"Anything is possible with Danny, but he carries a special I.D. in his wallet that would tell them to contact the SGC, in case of emergency."

"If the wallet was stolen, they would not know that, O'Neill."

"Good point. I think he should start wearing dog tags. Okay, let's get back. I'll start making some calls."

After returning to the base, and sending out a forensic team to Daniel's house, he called for a briefing. Teal'c sat at the table along with the airman who was at the gate yesterday when Daniel left for home. Teal'c had his usual stoic expression on his face but Jack knew him well enough to know that he was very worried about his friend. Sam was pacing, between the observation window and his office door.

The airman reported that everything seemed normal when Daniel left. "He said goodbye, signed out, and left in his Jeep, Sir."

"Were there any people hanging around that looked suspicious?"

No sir, not that I can remember."

"No unusual cars in the parking lot? One that you hadn't noticed before?" Jack tapped his pencil on the table, which made the airman more nervous as time passed.

"No sir. All the cars were accounted for on the sign in sheet." Then, he stopped talking and looked pensively at General O'Neill. "Wait, sir, now that you mention it. There was a small car that was parked outside the gate along with some of the other vehicles. Not everyone brings their car onto base property. Some of the guys get a ride from their wives and at the end of the day, their wives pick them up, so that the guys only have to walk past the gate, show their badge, sign out, and leave."

"And you saw a car you didn't recognize?"

"Yes, sir. It was white. I don't know what kind it was, though. Sorry, sir. Cars were never my strong suit and so many of the cars look the same. After Dr. Jackson left, I noticed that the car turned around and followed but I didn't think it was unusual, at the time."

"It's okay. We might be able to pull an image up from one of the security camera's at the gate. You did good, airman. You can go."

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir." With that, the airman left to return to his duties.

Jack stared off into the distance, thinking quietly, still tapping his pencil. 'Where are you, Danny? What kind of trouble did you get yourself into, this time?'

At that moment, Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman entered the briefing room carrying an envelope. "This came for you, sir. Special delivery at the gate. And, I checked with all the hospitals in the Colorado Springs area. Dr. Jackson hasn't been admitted to any of them."

"Thank you, Walter."

Jack carefully opened the envelope and looked inside to find a VCR tape.

He glanced at Sam and said, "Let's take this to your lab and have a look at it. I have a feeling it isn't good news. Walter, get this envelope to forensics and have it dusted for prints."

"Yes, sir."

"Did anyone notice who delivered it?"

"I'll check and get back with you, sir."

"Do that."

In the lab, they turned on the TV and VCR and popped in the tape. At first, the picture was distorted by the image flipping and then it stopped and focused. They saw Daniel, lying either unconscious or dead, on a cement floor. Everyone watching reacted with a hiss. He looked badly beaten and hardly recognizable as he laid on the floor, unmoving. His eyes were blackened and swollen shut and he was lying in a pool of blood. Then the camera panned to the right and they saw a familiar man sitting in a chair.

"Jack, that looks like Senator Kinsey," Sam said. She looked closer at the TV and frowned. "But that's impossible. I thought he was dead?" She looked at the screen, hardly believing what she was seeing.

"Well, apparently not! How did that rat bastard survive getting blown up? And how did he get Daniel?" Jack was seething as he watched the screen.

"Indeed." Teal'c's face was troubled. He was very upset that his closest friend was hurt. He felt a personal responsibility to watch over Daniel's safety and was afraid that he'd let him down.

Sam used the remote to turn up the volume on the set and they heard Kinsey saying, "Hello, O'Neill. As you can see, I have Dr. Jackson here with me. I just wanted you to know that I had him kidnapped and brought here. If it weren't for him, the Stargate Program wouldn't have gotten started; I would be the future President of the United States; and you would be fired. Since I can't do anything about restoring my career, I knew that I could get at you by killing Dr. Jackson. Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on killing him right away. I have a sarcophagus, Jack. I know all about his addiction and by the time I'm done with him, he's going to beg me to kill him. I can think of countless ways to hurt him, even different ways to kill him and then bring him back like new. And then I can start all over again! Let's just call this a pay back for all the trouble SG-1 caused me over the last 9 years. Oh, and don't bother searching. You'll never find him." Kinsey grinned at the camera before it panned over to Daniel as he was being dragged away by two men, leaving a bloody smear on the floor in his wake. And then the film abruptly stopped.

Jack remembered all to well what Daniel went through because of Shyla and his subsequent addiction to the sarcophagus. And he also knew what it was like because of his own horrifying experience at the hands of Baal.

"I want answers, and I want them now! I want to know where he is and I want to know how Kinsey got his hands on a sarcophagus! Somebody had to help him and I want to know who! And am I the only one here who noticed that Kinsey seemed conspicuously Un-Goa'uldish? I want to know if the Tok'ra had something to do with this!"

"You are correct, O'Neill. And yet, I do not believe that even the Tok'ra would remove Senator Kinsey's symbiote without notifying us. That would not foster good relations between them and the Tauri."

"You're right, Teal'c. But they don't usually tell us what they're doing until we happen to find out some other way, or if they want something from us. Okay, kids, we need answers and we need them yesterday!"

"I will contact Master Bra'tac and inquire about any Jaffa intelligence he may be able to assist with."

"Thanks, Teal'c. Maybe one of their operatives knows what's going on."

"I'll try to contact the Tok'ra and see if they know anything. And, I'll give the tape to the com tech's. Maybe they can pull something out of it that will give us a clue." She paused, trying not to tear up. "Jack, this will destroy Daniel! We've got to find him before it's too late." Sam stopped talking and looked at Jack, desperation showing in her eyes.

"I know, Sam, I know. I'm gonna call the President ... I think he needs to be notified that his former VP is on the loose and what he's done to Daniel. Maybe he can do something from his end. Oh, and call Agent Barrett and see if he can help. Maybe he can find out if the Trust helped Kinsey out. "

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson cannot use the sarcophagus. Even one time could cause serious damage." Teal'c normally was very calm but you could see him trying to hold his emotions in check.

"That's one reason we're pulling out all the stops to find him. Kinsey won't be able to find a deep enough hole to hide in. He's going to be sorry when I'm done with him, believe me!"

0 0 0 0

Sam headed straight for the communications lab with the video tape, hoping that there was something more they could pull out of it that might give them some insight to where Daniel was being held. Airman Jonathan Newsome downloaded the video tape's sound into the computer and transform was selected. The noise reduction was chosen with different levels selected. The technician chose to amplify the sound but nothing different came out of the tape. It was useless.

"Ma'am, the only thing I can tell you about this tape is that there is virtually no other noises coming out of this tape. In my opinion, it was recorded underground. It would have to be in order for it to have a completely silent background. There's no cars, trains, people... nothing."

"So, it's worthless."

"Yes, ma'am, as far as trying to locate Dr. Jackson. I can't get anything out of it. I'm sorry Ma'am."

"Thanks, airman. I appreciate your trying."

Sam left the lab feeling disheartened. She was hoping there would be something. She went back to her lab and called Jack's office and gave him the report.

"Jack, we don't have any other leads."

"We'll find him, Sam. We're still waiting to hear from the Tok'ra and I contacted Thor. He might be able to find out something. Don't give up hope."

Sam hung up the phone and dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. 'Not again, please God, not again.'


	4. Chapter 3 And So, It Begins

**Chapter 3 - And So, It Begins**

Daniel woke up a few hours later in the clutches of a panic attack!. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that it felt like it was being squeezed in a vise and his lungs felt like they were tearing apart every time he took a breath. He was soaked to the skin and his muscles ached all over. He thought that one shoulder was dislocated and his face was so swelled up he could barely see. His swollen tongue poked at his teeth and found that many of them were loose. He was sure that his kidneys must be bruised as the ache in his back was almost unbearable. Fever seemed to be stalking him, making his eyes feel gritty, as if someone had thrown sand in his face, and he was very thirsty, having not had anything to drink since before he was captured. When was that? Despair washed over him in waves as he lay on the bloody, wet mattress, leaving him to wonder if his confidence in front of Kinsey had been warranted. If Kinsey was right, then maybe this time it really was over. Maybe nobody would find him in time and he would die once more, for good.

'Come on, Jack! I need your help now more than ever!'

And, while Kinsey was a self-righteous, pompous, bastard, he would never have thought he had it in him to resort to kidnapping and murder. The only conclusion Daniel could come to was that Kinsey had finally lost it. Nuts!

Completely insane.

And very dangerous.

0 0 0 0

Before long, the door opened and Kinsey entered the room. He looked at Daniel with contempt. 'Such a fool. He fell for that line about O'Neill giving up. Good! Let him think that there's no hope!'

"Well, Dr. Jackson... Aren't you a site for sore eyes. Have you had some time to think about your hopeless situation? Hmmm?"

He heard Kinsey laughing at him, taunting him, but he kept his eyes closed. 'Ignore him, don't give him the satisfaction of a reaction of any kind. That's just what he's looking for. He wants to see me scared. Well... it's not gonna happen!'

"It's all your fault, you know. You just had to figure out how to open the gate, didn't you? You couldn't leave it alone. You're the reason that my life is over!" Kinsey was shouting, now. "I have no future. Hell, even my wife and kids think I'm dead. My life is over! And, it's all because of you!"

He leaned over and grabbed Daniel by the collar, causing him to cry out. Kinsey held his face up as he said, "I want you to listen to me, Dr. Jackson. You can try to ignore me all you want but I KNOW you can hear me! What you experienced earlier is the tip of the iceberg. Oh, yes. I'm going to make you suffer like you've never suffered before. And, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. But we're not finished. Not yet!"

The two guards came into the room and hauled Daniel to his feet, leaving him breathless and in excruciating pain. He yelled out as they held him up in front of Kinsey, chills and fever making him shake. Daniel tried to focus but without his glasses, it was hopeless. The room kept spinning and tilting so he closed his eyes but that didn't really help and soon he was retching.

Kinsey started laughing again as he circled Daniel like a cat would a mouse. "Tell me, how are you feeling? Sore? Tired? You look pretty bad. Are you hurting, Dr. Jackson?" He laughed some more. "Well, don't worry. I have just the thing."

Kinsey stepped to the side, waving his hand in a flourish, as the guards dragged Daniel out into the hallway. Kinsey was laughing as they went down the hall and entered a large room. As they passed through it and entered another smaller one, Daniel looked up and froze in his tracks, his mouth suddenly gone dry and speechless. In front of him, in all it's horrific glory, was a shiny, golden sarcophagus, a device much like the one he was addicted to on Shyla's planet. He struggled weakly to free himself but the guards just held on tighter than before, as he broke out into a cold sweat. They pulled him forward and Kinsey stepped in front of him, looking very satisfied with himself. Daniel stared at him, believing that his earlier thoughts about Kinsey being insane, were true.

"Do you recognize this?" He pointed to the object of Daniel's fear and grinned at the beaten man before him. "I know all about your addiction, Daniel. I know all about how you almost killed O'Neill when you were going through withdrawal. What was that like? Would you care to describe it for me?" Kinsey was sneering at Daniel, flecks of spit flying as he talked. "Are you frightened, Daniel? Are you?"

"Where did you get that?" Daniel barely had any volume to his words.

He could only stare, wide eyed, as Kinsey glared at him and he was shaking very badly, knowing what was to come and wishing with everything he had in him that he was wrong. The guards were laughing at him as they shook him like a rag doll, making him gasp from the pain.

"Lord Yu wasn't using it anymore. Replicator Carter made sure of that!" Kinsey laughed at his attempt of a joke. "I made a deal and now I own it."

Kinsey turned toward the device and pushed the button to open the box. They moved Daniel forward to place him inside and as they did, he struggled and started yelling, "NO! DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!" Kinsey just laughed at him as the lid closed on the cries of one desperate, crushed soul and then there was profound silence.

0 0 0 0

This time, when Daniel woke up, he knew he was living a nightmare. He was back on his mattress, and all his discomfiture was gone. He was in perfect physical health. No broken bones - no bloody injuries. But his mind was in desperate turmoil, crying out in disbelief! He wanted to get away as far and as fast as he could. And paradoxically, he also wanted to return to the box, the magic box that made him feel so good. It was like nothing else anyone could ever imagine. No drug on earth could equal it. No alcoholic drink could come close. The overwhelming craving was going to destroy him, and all he could do was lay on the floor and weep, knowing what to expect and feeling powerless to do anything to stop it. He hated himself for his desperate yearning. And he hated Kinsey, even more.

Somehow, he had to find a way to fight back. He didn't know how yet, but he wasn't going to go quietly, like a lamb brought to slaughter. He'd find a way. He had to. And when he did, he promised himself that Kinsey would pay dearly for everything he'd done to him.

0 0 0 0

Kinsey had retired to the lounge with his cigar and a glass of brandy. He really liked this manor house, tucked away in the country side just across the Vermont border in Canada. Not many people recognized him in Quebec so it was the perfect refuge. He had acquired it on the sly when Senator Chesters needed some cash for a stock deal, a few months before Kinsey's 'forced retirement.' He was only too glad to take it off his hands, for a reduced price, of course.

After he'd returned to earth, he set in motion the plans to get even with O'Neill and his team. He thought about it for a long while and decided on a plan that would make them all miserable. The perfect solution was to grab Dr. Jackson, the beloved boy wonder of the SGC. He knew how they all practically worshipped the punk and if he could get him, he could make them all suffer.

He'd converted the wine cellar under the basement into the rooms he would use for Daniel. It took time, with all the planning, all the ideas that he had - some discarded - some improved upon. Eventually, he had all the equipment and made his move. The timing had to be perfect, though. He had the acquisition team ready. As soon as he heard from his inside man, they moved.

It had worked just like he'd planned. Yes, he really loved this place.

0 0 0 0

Kinsey had a suite of rooms at the top of the manor that could only be reached by a special elevator and he had certain women who he could call and they would 'visit.' He provided everything they wanted, clothing, booze, drugs, whatever they requested. He had quite a nest egg built up over the years from some behind the scenes business dealings, and the millions he'd acquired and stashed in the off shore accounts would keep him set for the rest of his life. The money provided him with endless enjoyment and everything he could ask for.

He felt entitled to this. His wife was a real ding bat and the only reason he had never divorced her was for political reasons. Appearance mattered, so he kept her happy with jewelry, trips to visit the kids, and the like. She was totally oblivious to what was really happening. He only had to tell her that he had a meeting out of town and she believed every word. So, he came here a few times a year to relax and she never knew any better.

He felt particularly energized by the days events. Jackson was such a wimp, such a weakling. It was so much fun to torment the little troublemaker.

He used the elevator and went up to his suite. On arrival, he rang up Monica's number and asked her if she would like to come over. Monica was one of his favorite 'friends.'

Let the fun begin!

0 0 0 0

The second day of Daniel's 'visit,' as Kinsey like to call it, was different. Daniel woke up feeling groggy, which he attributed to the lack of food and water. He was slightly dizzy and nauseous but managed to keep down the meager breakfast they had left for him. The cold oatmeal stuck to his throat but he managed to get it down. He wished for a good cup of hot coffee and he could smell it brewing from somewhere in the house.

The guards opened the door and Kinsey strode in, looking very pleased with himself.

Daniel was nervous. This lunatic was capable of anything and he didn't like the look on his face. His stomach started feeling sick just remembering the events from yesterday.

"How would you like to go for a swim, Daniel?"

"No thanks, I didn't bring my trunks."

Kinsey started laughing, "Hey, that's funny! Very clever! Don't worry, you won't need any."

Daniel looked at Kinsey and alarm bells started going off in his head. What did he have planned now? His survival instincts switched to overdrive as the guards came in and pulled him up off the floor and pushed him down the hall toward the big room. He tried to fight them off but he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting away from them.

Inside, he found a large steel tank filled to the top with water. They grabbed him and pushed him in, and laughed as he struggled to keep his head above the water. They kept dunking him under, not giving him much time to breathe. Finally, they held him under and watched as he frantically tried to escape the inevitable. It didn't take too long and they pulled him out of the water, still alive but barely. They placed him up on the table in the middle of the room and strapped him down.

A few minutes later, he came to, exhausted and wondering where he was. Then he saw one guard, (he'd nicknamed him 'Dorf') wearing a pair of thick rubber gloves and holding a set of jumper cables that were attached to a car battery.

'Oh Crap!'

His 'vacation' to Nicaragua was nothing like this. At least the Nicaraguans hadn't soaked him down first.

Kinsey was laughing at the expression on Daniel's face. Daniel started begging, "Please. This is insane! Don't do this," as water dripped off his soaked body. He started to shiver uncontrollably as Dorf attached one clamp to his right thumb and the other to his left big toe. Dorf just grinned at him and let him have it.

The inside of Daniel's head felt like it was going to explode. The current started at his toes and shot upward, leaving him screaming at the top of his lungs. 'I want to pass out, please just let me pass out,' he told himself but it didn't happen.

Kinsey just stood back and laughed like a loon. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and was panting when Dorf stopped. "Stop! Please!" His weak cries made Kinsey laugh even more.

Daniel thought his heart was going to stop. It still beat, somewhat erratically, as they unstrapped him and dropped him back into the tank of water and held him under, watching him weakly struggle for air, until he was dead.

0 0 0 0

At the end of the day, Daniel was so worn out and tired of being the source of entertainment for Kinsey and his goons. He hated the box and Kinsey and everything about this place.

He ate the piece of bread and drank the water and laid down, wishing that Jack would show up and get him out of there. He fell asleep, dreaming of Sha're and their peaceful life on Abydos and wishing he could turn the clock back and never uncover the damn gate. They had been so happy together living with the people from her village. Their days were spent working on the various things that had to be done to keep a large community of people fed and clothed. But their nights were theirs alone. A time to whisper to each other in the dark; tell stories, and make sweet love to each other under the 3 full moons of the nighttime Abydos sky. He dreamt about Sha're and wept quietly in his sleep.


	5. Chapter 4 Inquiries

**Chapter 4 - Inquiries**

Jack called a meeting at the SGC with Sam, Teal'c, Tok'ra High Council member Garshaw, Major Paul Davis from the Pentagon, and Special NID Agent Malcolm Barrett.

He looked around the table and was pleased that they were all able to gather together.

"Okay, let's get started. It's been a few days since Daniel disappeared. Teal'c, were you able to contact Master Bra'tac to find out if he had any news?"

"I was O'Neill. Master Bra'tac does not have any information regarding Daniel Jackson. He assured me that if he found out anything, he would contact us."

"Thank you, Teal'c. Major Davis, do you have anything from the Pentagon that can help?"

"Sir, we contacted Kinsey's friends and associates in Washington but it was very hard to get anyone to talk with us. It seems that since Kinsey's fall from grace, folks there want to distance themselves from him as much as possible. We did talk to some of his former office personnel. They'd moved on to other jobs but we located them. They didn't offer much help."

"Thanks Paul. Councilor Garshaw, have you been able to find out anything on your end?"

She stood and said, "Yes, General O'Neill. Our operative in Baal's ranks indicated that Kinsey is on earth. We've checked with all our operatives and he hasn't been found anywhere else. Rumor has it that Kinsey was beamed down to earth by Baal, after Kinsey's symbiote was reportedly removed."

"And just how did he accomplish that? Did the Tok'ra remove the symbiote?" Jack's attitude was terse, especially since the Tok'ra were never willing to come forth with information on their own. It always had to be pried out of them.

"No, General, the Tok'ra did not assist Mr. Kinsey in any way. We can only surmise that Baal helped him somehow." Garshaw seemed upset that O'Neill didn't trust her but Jack ignored her reaction as she sat down.

"Agent Barrett, what have you got?"

He opened his brief case and brought out a sheaf of papers. "According to my sources, the Trust wasn't involved in Daniel's abduction. My source assured me that they weren't interested in Kinsey's plans, whatever they might have been. Their primary concern has been technology and destroying the Goa'uld and Jaffa and they didn't think Kinsey was a big enough fish to bother with. There were System Lords to take care of first, so he was ignored."

"Okay, so we're back to square one."

"Not necessarily, General. I checked with the legitimate NID sources. They heard something a while back about the Symbiote Suppression Collar that the Tollans had. Baal had gotten his hands on it. They're sure he had a reason for wanting it but they didn't know why at the time."

"That's interesting, Agent Barrett, but what does that have to do with Daniel?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it might be related to Kinsey somehow. My source is still trying to find out what Baal wanted it for." Barrett looked hopeful. He really wanted to help. Daniel was a great guy and he had a lot of knowledge about national security concerns. Whoever had him might be trying to use him to get information about the Stargate Program.

"Okay, the fingerprint analysis proved that Kinsey's prints were on the envelope the video tape came in, which isn't really all that surprising since Kinsey wanted us to know he had Daniel. If Kinsey is on earth, that's good. He'll be easier to find. Sam, have you checked to see if Kinsey owned any property where he could be hiding?"

"He has a cabin in Wyoming but we checked it out and there's been no recent activity. We still have it under surveillance but I'm doubtful, Sir."

"Have you talked with is wife?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know about anything that could help us. Evidently, he kept her out of the loop."

"What have you got on the mysterious vehicle at the gate?"

"I checked the video tape from the camera at the guard shack to find out the identity of the vehicle and it was a white Ford Taurus with Colorado plates. We're trying to get a clear picture of the plate number and if we can, we'll track it down."

Major Davis said, "Sir, I have an idea. What if Kinsey went to Cimmeria? That would explain how his symbiote might have been removed. Let me contact Gairwyn and see if she has seen him?"

"Good idea. Thanks, Major. Let me know as soon as you have something."

The Major headed for the control room to dial up the planet and see what he could find out.

There was a bright flash and Thor appeared in the room.

"Thor, Buddy! It's great to see you! Have you found out anything about Daniel?"

"Thank you, O'Neill. Yes, I have news about Daniel Jackson."

"Wonderful, what have you got?"

"Daniel Jackson has been located in your northern hemisphere. A region in Southeastern Canada."

"How did you find that out?"

"We implanted Daniel Jackson with a locater beacon. It was determined that it would prove invaluable since he has a knack for disappearing."

"And you didn't feel that this was important enough news for you to share with us?" Jack was dumbfounded! Why hadn't Thor said anything, before?

"I sincerely apologize, O'Neill. We didn't feel it was necessary to tell you until we had completed our tests."

"Why is that?"

"It was strictly a temporary measure. We had been monitoring Dr. Jackson's movements for the last few earth months and it seems to have worked wellThe only problem we had with is is that the power source didn't last very long. We were about to contact you concerning this technology when you contacted us. But, we must retrieve him quickly, O'Neill. Since it was only a test, the implant will discontinue sending a signal very soon. Our scientists are working on a permanent solution to the energy source used to power the signal but we haven't finished the research."

"Thor, if you had contacted us about this from the beginning, we would already know where Dr. Jackson had been taken and we wouldn't have had to go through all this. And after what Loki did with his experiments before, I would have thought that you would understand our reasons for open communication about any experiments you wanted to do."

"I am sorry, O'Neill. You are correct. I regret the actions the Asgard have taken and promise that we will not ever again conduct experiments on the Tauri without your permission."

"Sir," Sam interjected, "our scientists are working on a similar device. It's still in the prototype stage but the results look promising."

"Oy! I'm not getting all my memo's." Jack ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up in spikes. "Thor, does Daniel know that you did this?"

"He does not. We implanted the device while Daniel was asleep in his home. I assure you, he was not injured in the process. It took mere seconds and he was not made aware."

Major Davis came back into the briefing room with news. "Sir, I contacted Gairwyn and sent her a picture of Kinsey through the wormhole. As soon as she saw it, she recognized him. She said that she was at the gate a few weeks ago and saw him come through the wormhole and then disappear. She immediately assumed that he was a Goa'uld and had been sent to Thor's Hammer. They kept an eye out for him afterwards but he wasn't found."

"Thanks, Major. Okay, so now we know how he got the snake removed.

We just have to find out what happened to him after that. Okay, Thor, we need to know where Daniel is. If we can find him, it stands to reason we'll find Kinsey. Can you show us?"

Thor held out a remote device in his hand and a transparent screen popped up on the table. A rotating image of earth appeared and a red dot blinked over a spot indicating that Daniel was in Quebec Province, near Montreal.

"This is where you will find Doctor Jackson. But, you must hurry, O'Neill. The beacon will only transmit the signal for another 6 of your earth hours."

"Okay, everyone. As much as it upsets me that Daniel was implanted without our knowing it, at least we now know where he is. Let's get this show on the road."

0 0 0 0

Captain Ed Paulson headed for his car with the latest information he was to relay to Vice-President Kinsey. His position as a Technician in the Security Station on Sub-Level 16 gave him access to the monitors in the briefing room. He had to phone Kinsey to let him know that O'Neill knew where Dr. Jackson was, but he had to do that off base.

While driving north on I-25 toward Denver, Paulson's left front tire blew and he crossed over into the southbound lanes and crashed head on with an 18 wheeler. The driver of the truck was unhurt but Paulson died instantly.


	6. Chapter 5 Addiction

**Chapter 5- Addiction**

The sarcophagus opened and Daniel realized he was alive Again. 'How many times have I woke up in this damn thing?' The guards reached in, dragged him back to his cell and threw him onto the mattress.

He'd lost count of the time. He rubbed his chin and felt the stubble. Like sandpaper but starting to get long. A week? Maybe. From personal experience he knew it couldn't be much longer than that. He'd grown a beard for a while during is college days and remembered how long it took. But, he was a lot younger then and it took longer then to grow one. Now, it was easy. No, a week but not much longer.

So, what's next? Kinsey had put him through hell and there didn't seem to be an end to the madness.

How many ways could Kinsey think of to kill him? The list was endless.

In the last few days, Daniel had seen so much personal carnage that he kept hoping he wouldn't wake up again. His craving for the sarcophagus was worse than it had been on P3R-636 when Shyla had gotten him addicted in order to keep him with her. He'd been in the box maybe a dozen times total, then. This time, it had been a lot more than that in the first two days and he was worried that the behavioral side effects would become permanent. He would have to figure out a way to escape before that could happen. In many ways, he felt wonderful. He thought he could take on the world. And it scared him.

He'd given it some thought and decided that the only way to get out was to give Kinsey and the goons the impression that he was physically weak. Since Kinsey had never used the sarcophagus himself, he only had a rudimentary knowledge of it's effects. And he was so easy to fool. Every time the box opened, Daniel refused to get out by himself, feigning weakness. The guards would have to pick him up and carry him back to his cell, which led them to believe that he was loosing his strength, even while restoring his life.

And each time Daniel woke up, he craved the box more. The high afterwards was thrilling and he sometimes had a hard time faking his weakness but the guards were not very smart. He thought they maybe had a combined I.Q. of a third grader. How stupid they were! So, he would not give them any help getting him out of the box. He would hang limp between them and made them drag him to and from the torture chamber. Kinsey seemed to be enjoying the idea that he was hurting Daniel this way and Daniel knew that if he could keep up the ruse a little longer, he might be able to make his move and escape.

So, how was he going to get away and keep his sanity?

And where was he, anyway? He only saw Kinsey and the guards. It was early spring time so he had to make sure he had warm clothes when he left. He'd seen where the guards hung their coats in the hallway by the exit. Shoes would be a problem, but maybe he could steal some.

They only gave him enough food and water to keep him alive. It consisted of 4 or 5 cups of water a day and maybe 500 calories of food. So, he knew he was losing weight but he couldn't do anything about it. He also knew he was starting to get weaker so it wasn't much of an act after four or five days. The box kept him alive. But it didn't necessarily keep him healthy. That required food and water, neither of which he had much of.

He was sure Kinsey would send the dogs for him when he found Daniel was gone and he would have to find a way off the property where the dogs couldn't follow him.

There was a problem with his plan though... the addiction. There was only one way he could think of to deal with it. He thought that if he could find a place to hide for a few days, he could ride out the withdrawal and then head home. Once back at the SGC, he would find a way to let them know where he'd been and they could go get Kinsey and give the S.O.B. what he deserved!

Kinsey never tired of torturing him. He had this insatiable need to brutalize and murder him and he laughed about it the whole time. Daniel could easily give in to madness but he also had a need. Not just for the box, either. He wanted to kill Kinsey. He hated this man almost as much as he hated the Goa'uld. Maybe more. And the only thing keeping him going was the thought of revenge. He would have his revenge and Kinsey would find out what it was like to be on the other end of the torture.

And while Daniel felt entitled to his anger, these thoughts scared him, too. He'd never been a violent man. He was always looking for diplomatic solutions to any conflict he came across. His position on SG-1 had helped calm nerves countless times when harm may have been the expected result. To have feelings of superiority, murder and revenge were not easy for him. He'd had no problem killing before. It was part and parcel to his job. But, he knew it was a job and had accepted the facts. This was different. He had every right to hate Kinsey. But to think of ways to get even, to do to Kinsey what had been done to him... that was foreign. Maybe some would say it was a perfectly logical reaction to the circumstances. But Daniel still didn't like it. What kind of person was he becoming from his prolonged use of the sarcophagus? He'd seen what it had done to Shyla's father, Pyrus. He'd realized that her father was probably a good man once, but prolonged use of the sarcophagus had made him a cold, indifferent brute. Lord Yu was another example of what prolonged use could do. That man had been paranoid and had lost touch with reality years ago. Daniel's more lucid moments brought fear of whom he was becoming.

Was this his fate, if he survived? Would he become a mean, arrogant, insane man? Would he take delight in hurting others like they did? The thought of it terrified him.

No, he had to get away and soon, before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 6 Escape

**Chapter 6 - Escape**

Daniel figured out that the water was drugged. He recognized the loopy feeling from enough times in the infirmary at the SGC. So, he didn't drink the last cup of water they gave him at night. When they left, he dumped it out and they guards never knew. He was very thirsty, and dehydrated but he figured he could do with out that last cup at dinner time if it meant staying alert.

He had spent the morning chained to a pole of the torture chamber, stripped bare. One of the guards had whipped him until the skin on his back was raw. This guy put everything he had into each swing and he knew exactly where to place the lashso that it did the most damage. Daniel's face was bruised from crashing into the pole with each hit, his body involuntarily jolting forward. He remembered hearing someone screaming and realized it was his own screams he was hearing but before long his voice was totally gone. He hung from the manacles, his body quivering from shock and the skin on his back burned so bad that he had a hard time catching his breath. Not that 'Bruno' gave him a chance. On the contrary, the lashes came swiftly and with enough force to rip his back wide open. Blood ran down his back, sides and front toward his legs and puddled on the floor as he finally passed out. They unchained him and let him drop to the floor like a rag doll with no bones. The crumpled heap on the cement moaned but didn't wake as they dragged his limp body to the sarcophagus so that they could start all over again.

He woke up on his mattress, sure that if he didn't get out of there soon, he would definitely go insane.

Kinsey came into his cell and leaned on the door frame, watching him with his cold stare.

"Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day, according to the forecast. I think we'll take a walk on the grounds." Kinsey smiled but it never reached his cold, dead eyes.

"Why?" Daniel was confused by this change of direction. Something wasn't right. Outside? It could only mean he had some other kind of torture in mind that couldn't be done indoors.

"Let's just say the dogs need some exercise." With that, he grinned and then turned and left.

Daniel's blood ran cold as he heard Kinsey laughing as he walked away. He was horrified at what he knew was coming. Kinsey was going to set the dogs on him. A chase, by the sounds of it. A hunt, maybe. He closed his eyes and tried to swallow but his throat was dry as he contemplated what he knew was coming.

He had seen the guard dogs. Big German Shepherds, probably 120 pounds each. And trained to kill. Once, on the History Channel, they had televised a program about the history of dogs, guard dogs in particular. They showed footage of how the dogs were picked, what particular traits were deemed necessary for a successful outcome, what breeds were the most aggressive and smart. And they told how much pressure the bite of a very angry and agitated dog could put on a victim. They measured it with certain electronic devices and talked about what kind of damage the bite would cause.

And he knew what he was in store for him in the morning. 'Just when I thought it couldn't get worse...' Daniel laid back on the mattress and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't sleep at all tonight. The thought of what he had to look forward to made him nauseous.

'I've got to get out of here!'

0 0 0 0

He spent a sleepless night on the floor of his cell, cold and alone. He was hungry and weak and knew he wouldn't get far before the dogs got him. Soon after the sun came up, Kinsey arrived. 'He's not wasting any time.'

They gave him a pair of sneakers to wear and stood by as he slipped them on and tied them. Why the shoes? For traction and speed? He knew he wasn't going to get far. The guards escorted him out of his cell, through the tunnell and down the hall to the door leading outside. They grabbed their coats that were hanging on pegs by the door, but nobody offered him one.

They walked out into the chilly morning, a cool breeze was coming from the north but the sun was out. Daniel didn't care. The fresh air was nice for a change but his spirits were too low for him to really appreciate it. He heard the dogs in the distance as the trainers were hooking up their leashes. He shivered but it wasn't from the cold and Kinsey noticed and laughed.

"What's the matter, Dr. Jackson? Cold?" He laughed at his own humor.

The sound of dogs barking grew louder as Daniel watched the two teams of dogs, four in all, come around the back of the building holding the kennels. The handlers definitely had them worked up this morning. Each man had a towel that they had used to wipe off Daniel's' face in the last few days and the dogs were sniffing and growling. 'So, that's what that was about. I knew they weren't wiping my face to be nice.' Then the dogs turned toward Daniel and pulled on their leashes, knowing that their prey was standing right in front of them. Oh, they were eager to hunt!

Daniel's mouth went dry and he had noticeable tremors shaking him from head to foot. He looked at Kinsey and the old man could hardly contain himself, being so excited about the chase.

"Daniel, we're going to give you a 3 minute head start. Let's see how far you can run in that much time. Hey, maybe you'll break an olympic record!" Kinsey had a stop watch out and said, "Ready?" The dogs were straining at their leashes and it looked like the guards were going to have a hard time hanging onto them.

Panic flooded Daniel's mind as he scanned the estate, looking for the nearest trees. Even without his eyeglasses he could see that they were too far away and in his weakened state, he didn't think he'd get very far.

"Go!" Kinsey cried out and giggled like a demon possessed mad man!

It is amazing what a body can do when it's pumped full of terror and adrenaline. Daniel took off at a sprint, heading for the trees at the back of the estate as fast as he could. He could hear the dogs getting hysterical as they watched their prey run away from them. He was surprised how fast he was moving but within a minute or so he felt his strength waning and was out of breath. Spots were floating in front of his eyes and his strength was quickly running out. He kept going though and made it about half way to the trees when he heard the dogs change their bark. He knew they had been let loose and that spurred him on but he also knew he wouldn't make it. About 30 yards from the nearest tree, he tripped and fell head first onto the cold, wet ground. He tried to remember to roll into a ball when he fell but he landed on his right knee and heard a crunch as the impact turned his knee to a bruised mess and left him flat on the ground.

'Oh, God! Please help!' His desperate thoughts were soon interrupted as the first of the four dogs lunged at him. He tried with everything he had to fight it off but it was no use. Within seconds, the four dogs were on him and it was all over soon after that. The last thing he remembered was seeing the faces of four maniacal German Shepherds at close range as they jumped on him.

0 0 0 0

He woke up sometime later back in his cell. His sweat suit was ripped apart and still wet with blood. When he was aware of his surroundings and remembered what had happened, he threw up on the floor and then laid back on the mattress, tears forming in his eyes. 'Just kill me. I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this.'

0 0 0 0

The rest of the day went much like the way it started. Kinsey took a break while Daniel recovered and then he set Daniel up for another session of 'Chase the Rabbit.'

The third time he tried it, Daniel refused to run. He had decided enough was enough. He wasn't going to play anymore. He thought, 'Why should I run? What's the point except to give Kinsey the thrill of the chase. Forget it. I'm not moving.' So, he stood right there in front of Kinsey and let the dogs come at him, as he watched Kinsey's eyes. Just before he died, he saw the look of disgust on Kinsey's face. The game was over and he knew that Kinsey was tired of it, too.

He made up his mind. Tonight, he would make his escape.

0 0 0 0

It was well after dark and it was time to go. He'd noticed that the guards would leave him in his room and then disappear down the hall until the next morning. Evidently, they didn't think they had anything to worry about. Their confidence that he was too weak to get very far made them careless. He hoped they weren't right. He found he was light headed almost all the time but he had to try.

He knew that his torn sweat suit wouldn't offer much protection from the cold but he didn't have anything else. Maybe he could grab one of the coats that he had seen hung by the back door. He knew the sneakers were by the door each time he went out so he figured they would be there again.

He had been working on the door every night with a stiff wire he'd found in the mattress and he thought he had it figured out. By morning he planned on being miles away.

He waited until it had been dark for a while, when it was quiet, and took the chance that Kinsey was already asleep. He figured he had nothing to lose. If he got caught, what's the worst that could happen? He's already experienced the worst so it didn't scare him anymore.

He worked the lock on his door and slipped quietly into the hallway, making his way toward the tunnel and the steps leading to the exit. He knew the outside door was to the right. He approached slowly and looked through the window. Not a patrol in sight. Good. After grabbing a jacket and putting on the sneakers, he quietly slipped outside and stopped to listen. He didn't hear anything so he headed as fast as he could to the back of the estate. He made it as far as the tree line when he heard a shout and then barking and looked back. Flood lights blinked on and 2 large dogs were gaining on him fast, their handlers right behind them, giving the dogs their leads. He turned around and saw a wall ahead. 'Damn! How am I going to get over that!'

There was a large tree about 10 feet from the wall so he decided he'd try climbing it and see if he could get across the long limb to the other side of the wall. One of the guards was on a cell phone so he knew he didn't have long.

Once over the wall, he ran as fast as he could through the woods and across a field toward a river. When he jumped into the water, he immediately wondered about the logic of his actions as the water was ice cold! It might be springtime but the cold water took his breath away and soon he could feel his hands and feet starting to go numb. The current was very swift and it didn't take long before he was downstream, climbing up the bank on the opposite side. The cold night air combined with his dripping wet clothing convinced him that he better start running to warm up. He took a few minutes to rest and realized how truly weak he was. His feet felt like stumps so he took a few minutes, sitting on the ground, stomping his feet before he could feel the circulation returning. Teeth chattering, he took off across the fields at a slow, staggering lope, heading west, hoping to find a safe place to hide.

Nobody was around, probably most people were home in their beds. A few dogs barked as he went past but no one bothered to come out to see what the commotion was all about. He had to stop frequently to rest but he was warmed up and miles away from the estate when he decided to head south toward an old farmhouse with a barn. He snuck past the clothes line, grabbing a blanket on the way by, and stepped inside the barn, found his way to the loft where he burrowed under a pile of hay and then promptly collapsed from exhaustion.

He woke up just before dawn, wet, shivering, thirsty and having to urinate. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and quietly climbed down the ladder in the dark. There was a door at the back of the barn that opened onto a well worn tractor path. Perfect, some place he could pee without anyone finding him. After finishing up, he took in his surroundings. The sky was just light enough to see that there weren't any houses nearby, just fields covered with stubble from last year's harvest. He went back inside the barn, intent on getting back up into the loft before anyone found him, and was near the top of the ladder when he lost his footing and fell to the floor with a crash, yelling on the way down. He landed on his side, twisting his ankle and he felt a sharp pain in his knee. The roof started pin wheeling and he passed out.


	8. Chapter 7 Detection

**Chapter 7 - Detection**

Just after Daniel went over the wall, Kinsey woke up to the sound of the guard dogs barking. He looked at the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was almost 1 in the morning. What was all the commotion about?

He got out of bed and looked out the window, just in time to see the outdoor lights go on.

"Damn it! What have those fools done?"

"Robert, what is it?" Monica asked.

"I'm not sure but I have a bad feeling about this. You'd better get dressed and head back to your place." He reached for his wallet and paid her the agreed amount for her services.

As she was getting dressed, he grabbed his gun, ran down the stairs, and out the back door.

As he ran, he noticed a group of guards running down the stairs from the garage loft apartment. One of them was on a cell phone, talking excitedly.

"What happened?" Kinsey asked, waving the gun around.

"We were patrolling with the dogs, sir. We thought we saw movement back here so Philip went to the house and flipped on the light switch, turning on the security lamps. We saw Dr. Jackson running away so we let the dogs loose. We called the other two guards and woke them up. They are headed to the wall to help track him.

As they approached the wall, the guard said, "He managed to climb this tree and went out over the wall on a limb and jumped down." The guard was looking up at the tree, not wanting to make eye contact with Kinsey.

"Of all the stupidest, asinine things ... He was too weak to run away. You saw how it was. There's no way he could have gotten away unless he was faking it. Take the dogs and go after him."

When he got back to the house, he changed his clothes and then joined the search for Daniel.

The first tracking team followed the trail the the river but they lost it after that. It seemed that Dr. Jackson was headed west, though, so they caught up with Kinsey and reported their findings.

"Great! Wonderful! You guys were so lax that he just walked out the back door and took off! What do I pay you guys for? Come on! We're going to head west on that road back there and see if we can find him. Bring the dogs!"

When they got to the road they followed the two guards with their dogs who were sniffing the ground, obviously not picking up Daniel's scent. There wasn't a trail for the dogs to follow. Daniel was gone and Kinsey had to find Daniel before he reported him to the authorities. Worse yet, before he reported him to O'Neill!

O O O O

General O'Neill had decided he was going along on this rescue mission and nobody was going to stop him. Daniel was one of his closest friends and he just couldn't leave it to anyone else to lead. If things went wrong, it would be his responsibility. He didn't want to have to blame anyone else.

He remembered the conversation in the locker room beore they left. He was getting geared up and talking with Colonel Reynolds and Major Feretti.

"Sir," Feretti said, "I'm sure we'll get to him in time."

Jack turned and looked at him. "I hope so. This is gonna be bad though, guys. By now, Daniel will already be hooked on that sarcophagus and if he survives the rescue attempt, it's gonna be a long road to recovery for him. That's why I picked your two teams. You two know what to do better than any others. I'm counting on you to get the job done."

"Yes, sir," they both replied.

Jack left the locker room and headed for the armory with them following close behind. The look he'd given them made them proud but it also conveyed the seriousness of the situation. This was Daniel they were talking about. The guy who was responsible for everything they were doing. If it hadn't been for him, they would probably be in another part of the world doing regular earth stuff. Instead, he opened the gate and because of it, they were able to go on adventures around the galaxy that nobody could have ever dreamed of. Even the SciFi channel can't come close with what they have.

President Hayes had contacted the Canadian Prime Minister and they'd been given a go for the mission. O'Neill felt he had the best 2 teams ready to go and another team of advanced medical personnel. They were all ready to depart within 20 minutes of the meeting in the briefing room.

They'd headed for Peterson Air Base and a few hours later landed at the small airstrip near Morristown, VT. From there, they taken a small plane north across the Canadian border to the airport near Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu. Three vans then drove out into the country, following the red blinking light on the globe, where they were able to zoom in on the image and pinpoint Daniel's exact location. And now they were getting close. The implant was going to stop blinking any minute now, but at least they knew he was in the area.

'Hang on, Daniel. We're coming.' Jack had to believe they would find him in time.


	9. Chapter 8 Rescue

**Chapter 8 - Rescue**

Elise La Pointe had just finished pinning up the last of the laundry and was wondering what had happened to the blanket she had left out all night to air out. Maybe Grandmama had brought it in.

She went out to the barn to feed the chickens and as she came through the door, she noticed her blanket lying on the floor. 'How did that get out here?' As she stepped forward to pick it up, she noticed that it was wrapped around a man who appeared to be asleep on the barn floor. She ran back to the house to get her brother, Robert. He looked at the man, and decided he must have fallen off the ladder or the loft and he was obviously injured.

Robert told Elise that she should go get Grandmama, and hurry! He didn't want to move the man until she examined him for other injuries. Angelique Trudeau, age 74 and a retired nurse, was soon by the side of the man, checking his vital signs. "He is very sick. Why, he must have been out here all night! Bring him inside and we'll put him in the spare bedroom." She helped her grandson get him up off the floor and then Robert carried him in and carefully laid the stranger on the bed. They undressed him and then tucked him in. Angelique looked at the man's torn, bloodstained clothing. How had this happened? She pulled the blankets back and carefully examined the cold, shivering, unshaven fellow on the bed. There were no cuts anywhere that she could see. He was wet, dirty and a bit underweight, but not injured. So where did all the blood come from? She put the sweat shirt and pants aside and decided they were too torn up to mend. Suspicion clouded her mind as she pondered the situation. Something was definitely wrong here and she was determined to find out what!

The gentleman didn't wake up for a few hours, and when he did his eyes were glazed over with fever and he didn't focus on anyone. He kept mumbling, yelling out, "No," and "Please stop!" and once, "Just let me die." Other times he would say things in other languages but they could not understand him. His breathing was labored and he started coughing weakly.

They tried getting him to drink but he couldn't keep anything down. Angelique knew she had to call the doctor but she was almost unwilling to. Something about this man disturbed her. He was obviously re-living some nightmare and she had a feeling that she needed to keep his whereabouts unknown to the surrounding community.

She grew concerned as his fever rose even higher. He kept talking about someone named, 'Sharay.' By the way he talked, it sounded like she must have been either his wife or lover.

They kept bathing him in cool, wet towels but it didn't seem to be helping. By midmorning, she decided it was time to call Dr. Martins and have him come to the house. He was a trusted friend ... A retired doctor that she had worked with over the years.

"Oh, God! Get the dogs off me. Help! Please!" The man was writhing in his bed, in obvious terror. Elise sat down on the edge of the bed and started singing in French, a little tune from her school days. She held his hand and he stopped moving and calmed down, and as he listened to her voice he finally drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

0 0 0 0

Dr. Henri Martins examined him and grew concerned at the high fever and started an IV. The man's eyes opened but he was obviously hallucinating and mumbled a lot about things that made no sense. The doctor injected him with a sedative and then he checked his lungs.

"He has pneumonia. His sprained ankle and bruised knee will heal in time but I'm concerned about his lungs and his mental state. All things considered, he'll be lucky to live. I'll give him an antibiotic but he should be in the hospital."

When the stranger finally fell into a deep sleep, Dr. Martins drew Angelique aside and asked her for a more complete explanation.

He listened quietly as she told him about finding the man in the barn. He had obviously spent the night there wrapped up in one of her blankets but he was soaking wet and unconscious when they found him. Her grandson helped get him inside and undressed and that's where he's been ever since.

Then he told her that there had been some strangers in the village this morning, asking about an english speaking man with blue eyes. They were looking for him and told everyone that he had escaped from a mental hospital and was extremely dangerous. Obviously, this was the man they were looking for.

"Are you sure about these men who are looking for him? He's been talking about someone hurting him. Some of the things he's described sounds like he's been tortured." She showed him the bloody, torn clothing. "I don't think we should let anybody know he is here. When he recovers, we can find out who he is. He must be from the States. He speaks many languages, but mostly english. Please, Henri, do not give him away."

"Angelique, how do we know that this man is not dangerous? He could wake up and become violent."

"I don't think so. Besides, if he wakes up, he won't be able to do much. He's very weak. We can question him and see if he is the man they are looking for, but I want to be sure about who those men are, first. Let's wait until we know more."

"If you say so. I won't say anything. I think we're going to need some oxygen and more medical supplies, though. I'll get those things and be back soon. Keep a chart like you would at the hospital. Other than sitting with him and giving him the medicines, there isn't much else we can do."

He left, wondering if the man would live through the day.


	10. Chapter 9 Nightmares

**Chapter 9 - Nightmares**

A few days later, Daniel woke up screaming. He was soaked in sweat, the bedding twisted around his legs and he felt weak as a baby and couldn't stop shaking. He looked around the room, bewildered. 'Okay, what kind of trouble did I get myself into this time?' He didn't have his eyeglasses but he could still see that this wasn't his bedroom, a VIP room, or the infirmary.

Angelique entered the room with a basin of warm soapy water and a sponge and set it on the night table. The chair along the wall held a pile of folded sheets and blankets and on the dresser there were wash cloths, towels, and assorted powders, ointments and medicines. There was also an oxygen tank with clear plastic tubing near the wall.

She noticed he was awake but coughing and was as white as a sheet and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She put her hand on his forehead, noticing that he was still warm but his temperature seemed to be lower.

'Okay, this is really strange... Who is she and how did I end up in this bed?'

"Vous êtes éveillé ! Bon. "Good! You are awake."

"Où suis-je ?" "Where am I?"

"Vous ne savez pas?" "You do not know?"

"Non."

"Une petite ville près de Rue-Jean-Sur-Richelieu."

a small town near St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu

"La France ?" 'I'm in France?' What in the world and I doing in France? Kinsey must have flown me here!'

She smiled. "Non, Québec méridional. Près de la frontière des Etats-Unis."

"No, southern most Quebec. Close to the border of the United States."

"I'm in Quebec?"

"Oui. Monsieur, courez-vous loin des autorités ?"

"Yes, Sir, are you running from the authorities?"

"Non, Madame. Vous parlez anglais?"

"Oui, I do speak english. If you prefer."

"My name is Daniel. Daniel Jackson."

"My name is Angelique Trudeau. Monsieur, if you are not running from the authorities, who are you running from?"

"That's a long story."

"Well, Monsieur You are a very sick man. Your fever has been very high and you have pneumonia. You are not out of the woods yet, and it will be a while before you are well again. So, you will have time to tell me your story, oui?"

"Please, call me Daniel." He barely spoke above a whisper. Talking was wearing him out and he was wheezing with the effort.

She smiled, "As you wish, Daniel. I was a nurse for many years. Do not concern yourself, I know what to do.

He was embarrassed as she gave him a sponge bath and then changed the bedding under him. She noticed him blushing and said, "Daniel, I see that you are uncomfortable with my helping you, but please, do not be so. I have seen many men in your condition. Many of my patients could not take care of themselves. This is nothing."

She placed the oxygen tube on his face and noticed that he looked concerned. "Don't worry. This will help you." She covered him up with a fresh sheet and blanket, just as they heard a knock at the door. Her granddaughter Elise came in bearing a tray with homemade chicken broth.

She set the tray on the table and gave him a quick, shy smile.

He smiled, noticing how pretty she was and then thought, 'I better be really careful, here. The last time I woke up in a strange place, Leda took care of me and it ended up being awkward for both of us. I'm not about to let that happen again.'

He felt too weak to get out of bed without help and he wanted to get into the bathroom but he couldn't. Angelique noticed his pained look and immediately understood, getting him a urinal to use and suggesting that she and Elise check on the laundry. If Angelique hadn't been a nurse before... well, thankfully, she could read body language!

When she returned, she took care of the urinal and then returned, drying her hands with a towel. She propped him up with some pillows so that she could feed him. Soon, the soup came back up and he felt miserable all over again. The pain in his muscles kept him from moving very much and his fever was climbing again. Angelique was able to help him sip cool water through a straw but he couldn't keep that down, either. She wiped his face with a cool wet cloth and tried to make him more comfortable but he was coughing a bit more.

His eyes started to droop and she knew it was time to let him have his rest so she removed a couple of pillows from behind his shoulders and helped him settle back and get comfortable. She quietly put the lunch things on the tray and made ready to leave. One last glance showed that she was right. He was sound asleep.

0 0 0 0

Doctor Martins arrived soon after Daniel fell asleep and went in to check on him. He unwrapped Daniel's ankle and looked it over. The swelling was down a bit and the pulse in the foot was good and strong and the skin didn't feel cold. He wrapped it up again and covered Daniel with the blanket. Angelique told the doctor of Daniel's condition. Daniel's symptoms concerned him. This sounded like more than just pneumonia. With the intense pains, hallucinations and the shakes, he would guess that this man was going through drug withdrawal. He mentioned it to Angelique. She had to agree. They had seen that in the hospital numerous times and it did fit. Henri gave him some anti-nausea medication to help him stop vomiting and then went to the kitchen to get some coffee.

Angelique thought that Daniel looked peaceful, almost boyish as he laid there in deep slumber. Why in the world would anyone wish to hurt this man? Of course, she didn't really know anything about him but why would someone want to hurt him so badly? It was beyond her understanding. She left to go fix the noon meal and left Elise to sit with him.

0 0 0 0

His body was on fire, it had to be to hurt this badly. His skin burned and his blood felt like it boiled just under the surface, causing him to catch his breath. 'Am I awake or am I dreaming?' He could feel cool hands gently washing his sore, aching body. Laying there with his eyes closed, he tried to recognize the sounds around him but he was too confused to make sense of anything. Everything hurt. Even his scalp was protesting. Suddenly, needles were stabbing him all over and all he could do was groan aloud. Then he heard the sound of someone whispering to him, 'All will be well,' - a woman's voice. He opened his eyes and Elise smiled at him but he was very confused.

"At last. I was very concerned for you, Monsieur Daniel. Welcome back to the land of the living. We found you in the barn a few days ago. You came very close to dying." She reached for his forehead and smiled, brushing his hair away. "Your fever is going down again. We thought we were going to lose you."

He took a sip of water as she held out the glass with the straw. Oh, that was good. She indicated that he should drink a little more and he did, through dry, chapped lips. Then she spread an ointment on his lips and told him he was slowly getting better.

She excused herself momentarily, humming to herself as she went down the hall. Then, she brought back the razor, a cup with shaving soap and a brush. He looked embarrassed but she insisted, saying that after her grandfather had his stroke, she shaved him every day. She assured him that she would be very careful as she set the oxygen tubes aside.

What could he do? It wasn't like he even had the strength to fight her off. So, he allowed her to lather his face and she gently removed the growth that had put in an appearance during his ordeal. He watched her as she gently held his face and shaved off his whiskers. Her eyes were blue and very pretty and when she noticed the close scrutiny, she blushed. 'Careful there, Jackson. You just might have a reaction that will leave you both embarrassed.' And then he quickly looked away, feeling his skin go beet red. 'Damn!'

When she was finished, she asked him if that felt better and he had to admit it did. As she place the oxygen tube back on his face he smiled up at her, making eye contact and it was her turn to blush as she quickly stood up and gathered the shaving kit together.

Dr. Martins came in and said hello. He was impressed with Daniel's improvement but was still concerned. He checked Daniel's pulse and blood pressure. The blood pressure was fine but his pulse was a little fast. He looked at Daniel and then at Elise, taking in the shaving kit and putting two and two together. He grinned and said it was time for Daniel's pain medication. Daniel was asleep almost instantly as it made it's way through the IV line, soothing the terrible pain in his bones and muscles. Dr. Martins smiled and thought, 'He's doing better.'

0 0 0 0

Daniel woke up and noticed an open window, the warm gentle breeze making the ruffled lace drapery flutter back and forth in the sunlight. The air smelled like springtime, that odd mixture of rain, mud and lilacs. It was wonderful. He was too tired to move his head so he didn't try. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep. He thought he could hear someone in the distance, singing in French and then he was out.

0 0 0 0

It was night time. A small lamp was lit on the table by his pillow but the glow barely lit the room. Elise was sitting in a chair by another lamp, reading a book. She looked like an angel. She turned to see that he was watching her and blushed, wondering how long this handsome stranger had been awake. "You are better, non? I will tell Grandmama. She will be glad to see that you are awake." She smiled and quickly left the room.

Angelique came bustling in and smiled like sunshine at him. "It is so good to see you are getting better, Daniel." After checking his pulse, she helped him sit up in bed a bit.

He was confused. He remembered Angelique and Elise but how did he get here? How long had he been here? Suddenly, it all came back to him. All the horrors he had been subject to under the cruel hand of Kinsey rushed back and nearly strangled him with fear. Daniel tried to remain calm but found it very difficult to do so. All he really knew was that he wanted to go home. He needed to get back to the SGC and tell Jack what had happened. Hopefully, they hadn't really given up on him.

Angelique saw the panic on Daniel's face and tried to calm him. "Please, Daniel, do not be afraid. What is wrong? You are recovering from your illness and you have nothing to worry about."

He ripped off the oxygen tube and started pleading, "No, you don't understand. I have to get out of here. He's coming! I have to get back home. Please, you have to help me!" He started coughing and gasping for air.

Elise ran for the doctor and they both returned quickly to find that Daniel had tried to get out of bed and before Angelique could stop him, he had fallen onto the floor. After they got him back into bed, Dr. Martins checked Daniel's blood pressure and found that it was dangerously high, as was his pulse. "Monsieur, you must remain in your bed and stay calm. You might harm yourself if you do not."

Daniel was extremely agitated and finding it hard to breathe. Dr. Martins prepared a sedative and when Daniel saw it he begged, "No. Please, don't do that. I have to make a phone call. I have to call Jack. Please..." but he soon found himself falling into a black hole and then he knew nothing.

"Who is this 'Jack' he referred to?" Dr. Martins asked, as he placed the oxygen tube back on Daniel's face.

"I'm not sure. A brother or a friend, maybe. He's been calling for him in his sleep but I have no clue how to contact him." Angelique looked very concerned.

"Well, he should sleep until morning. Maybe then he can tell you more but try to keep him calm. I'm going to go home now. If you need me, call. But, I don't think you'll have to worry about anything else for the rest of the night."

He left quietly and Angelique sat down by the side of the bed and wondered how they were going to help this man. They didn't even know where he was from. Maybe Henri was right. Tomorrow would tell soon enough.


	11. Chapter 10 The Search

**Chapter 10 - The Search **

Jack sent the three SG teams to check in at a local motel while he drove one of the vans down the road past the estate. They came across a very large mansion behind a cement wall with a long drive and an iron gate . Reynolds noted the security personnel standing outside the property and while no guns were visible, but O'Neill knew they had them.

After driving past the house, they met the others at the motel.

"Okay, it's almost dark. We're going to have to check out the security and find out about alarms." Jack looked hopefully at Sam.

"I can find out a lot of that on the laptop, sir. Most security companies have their data secured by a firewall software program, but if you know what hoops to jump, you can get around it."

"That's what I like about you, Carter. You can hack into just about anything."

"Thank you, sir." Sam grinned and continued her search as they headed toward the motel.

Jack rented 3 rooms but Major Feretti's team was planning on camping out in the vans, preferring to be on the ready at a moment's notice. They all met in one of the rooms, men and women scattered around, eating MRE's and listening to General O'Neill give them a mission briefing.

"Carter, what did you find out?" Jack stood by the door, arms crossed, looking all the more like the general in charge of the troops. The men and women listened carefully, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Sir, I found out that the property once belonged to Vermont Senator Stanley Chesters. He was a friend of Kinsey's. Has been since their college days. It was purchased a few months back but the owner's name isn't available. I'm sure I can eventually get that information but I would take a guess that it's Kinsey. The security guards were privately hired by Kinsey and the security company that installed the lasers and motion detectors is a division of Watchdog, International. It won't be a problem disabling the security equipment. We have Asgard technology that will do that, without Watchdog knowing about it. I just need to set it up."

"Good, how long will it take the set up your doohickies?"

"About 10 minutes, sir."

"Okay, we'll wait to do that before we go in. Reynolds, I want your teams ready at 0200. What time does the sun come up here, Carter?"

"Just after 0700, sir."

"Okay, I want everyone back here by 0600, tops. That gives us 4 hours to check things out. I want a team on each wall of the property. And I want to know when the security teams patrol. Pay attention to the time and see if there's a pattern. Listen carefully. If they're talking, what language are they using? French or English? I also want to know what kind of dogs they have. And I want radio silence. We don't want to give the dogs any reason to start barking. Does everyone understand?"

They all nodded and said, 'Yes, Sir,' and when Jack was satisfied that everyone knew what he wanted he ordered everyone to get some rest. They scattered in different directions, talking among themselves quietly.

He went outside and slowly walked down the driveway to the main road. Sam went with him and they walked quietly for a bit until they left the hotel property and then turned left toward a section of woods. Stopping near a fence, Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, leaned back on the wooden rails, and looked around.

"It's nice here. Nothing like a little quiet place in the country to retreat to when you need a break."

"Is that why you have your cabin in Minnesota, Jack?" Sam asked as she picked up some small stones and absent-mindedly examined them for mineral identification. Jack noted that she never seemed to quit working.

"No, I go to the cabin to fish." He pulled out his yo-yo and started playing with it.

Sam looked up with a smirk. "Jack, there are no fish in your lake."

"Exactly."

Sam grinned and dropped the stones Looking at him she thought, 'He can be so obtuse, sometimes. Dead serious when he needs to be, though, like now.'

Nobody messed with his 'kids'. Especially with Daniel. They had an almost father/son relationship and they were the closest of friends. The year that Daniel was ascended was really hard on Jack. Sam had worried that he would quit and retire but thankfully he held on. She knew that Jack would move heaven and earth to find Daniel. She was sure of it. Kinsey had picked the wrong guy to grab. And he would never get away with it.

Jack put his yo-yo away and noticed her pensive look and said, "Don't worry, Sam. We'll find him."

I know, Jack. But, this is Kinsey we're talking about. He's gone insane. Who knows what he's already put Daniel through. I'm going on the assumption that Daniel's still alive but frankly, I'm terrified. We know what happened to Daniel before with the sarcophagus. If he's still alive..." Sam stopped and looked up at the twilight sky as she tried to control her emotions. "If he's still alive, he's gonna go through hell. It's been a few days and I'm afraid of what we're going to find."

"Sam, we'll get to him. You have to believe that. We'll find him and we'll help him through this... whatever it takes!" He stood up and said, "I know you're scared. I am too, but we can't dwell on that at the moment. Right now, we have to concentrate on the mission and keep the emotions in check. Stay strong, Sam. He's gonna need you when we find him. I've noticed over the years that you're the one he turns to when he wants to talk. Hold it together for his sake."

Sam took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "I will. You're right. I'm sorry. You'd think we would be getting used to this. Daniel's always disappearing, right? "

"Yeah, well, I'm scared, too. But, I have to believe that we'll find him in time to help him." With that, they headed back to their rooms for a few hours of rest, both lost in their thoughts.

0 0 0 0

The SG teams left the motel and drove without lights toward the 'Kinsey' Estate. They parked about a half mile down the road and started to walk quietly toward their goal. Jack assigned teams to each side of the property and they split up. He, Sam and Teal'c were headed toward the front gate, hoping to quietly sneak into the house.

As they drew near, it became obvious that something was amiss. The flood lights were shining and you could see the glow over the top of the wall.

They each carried a tranquilizer gun in case they came across the dogs but also in case they managed to run into Kinsey. As much as Jack would love to just shoot the bastard and get it over with, he also knew that they needed to interrogate Kinsey, if they could.

The gate was open so they quietly walked up the long drive until they reached the mansion. They went to the front and checked the massive oak door. It was locked so Jack indicated for Teal'c to wait there while he went around the left side of the house and Sam would go around to the right. They met at the back door and called Teal'c to meet them. The door was wide open, letting in the cold night air. Both garage doors were open, the kennels were empty and there were no vehicles in sight.

They checked both floors of the main house, finding nothing that indicated Daniel was there.

Teal'c stopped in the library on the second floor and looked around. Something wasn't right.

"What is it, Teal'c?" Jack trusted Teal'c's instincts like he would his own and he could feel that something was bothering his friend.

"There are windows on the roof of this building but I do not see any skylights in any of these rooms." He raised an eyebrow and looked at Jack.

"You're right! Great observations skills, T! There's gotta be another floor to this place. Let's look around for a sliding panel or something that would show us how to get up there."

It was pitch black in there but with their flash lights, they were able to find the elevator.

"Jack, Kinsey might be up there. We're going to lose our element of surprise if we use this."

"You're right, Sam, but what choice do we have? I'm not going to climb up on the roof in the dark and try to break a window. That would be just as obvious."

They got into the elevator and pushed the 'up' button. When the doors opened, they found a suite elegantly decorated and signs that Kinsey was the owner of the place. Documents on the desk verified the fact. They could also see that he wasn't there as they checked out each room, hoping to find Daniel. Once they determined that he was absent, Teal'c called to Jack and Sam and asked them to come to the room at the end of the hall. Inside, they found a wall covered with TV monitors and electronic equipment used to control cameras in the rooms downstairs. On a shelf on another wall, they found a number of video tapes and a VCR.

"O'Neill, we should look at these. They might be needed for evidence." Teal'c didn't really want to view what he thought he might find on them, but they had to know.

"You're right. Okay, lets pop one in and see what we have."

The image on the screen was like something out of a horror film. They watched for few moments as the image showed Daniel being tortured. He was begging them to stop and they could hear Kinsey laughing and taunting him. They also heard him say that the SGC had called off the search.

Jack quickly shut the machine off and dropped down onto the chair. The three of them felt sickened by what they had just seen.

"I'm sure he knows that's not true, Jack. We've never given up on him before. Remember when he was stranded off world and hurt on Tegalus? We looked for him for weeks and weeks until we found him. Even when Soren told us it was doubtful that Daniel survived, we kept trying."

"Yeah, I know, but you've never been held hostage or in prison for a long period of time." He leaned back into the chair, rubbing his eyes and said, "You don't know what happens when they start playing with your head. He shouldn't believe it, but given enough time, he might."

"O'Neill. I believe Daniel Jackson is stronger than you think. He's learned much while in the service of the Tauri. I do not believe that he would fall for Kinsey's deception."

"He's right, Jack. Daniel's a lot stronger than you're giving him credit for."

Standing, Jack said, "Maybe. Okay, Teal'c, find something to put those tapes in and we'll take them back to the SGC. Now, we have our proof. That room has to be here somewhere and I want to find it."

After gathering the tapes together in a box, they headed for the elevator and made their way to the second floor.

As they went back down the main staircase, Jack decided to find the entrance to the basement. There was a door in the pantry near the kitchen so they followed it down. The silence was eerie, almost tomblike as they descended the stairs.

The first door on the right opened into a recreation room, complete with big screen TV, pool table, a bar and a fully stocked kitchen.

They crossed the hall to see a large bathroom. A sunken hot tub took up most of the floor space on one side of the room. There was a large shower section surrounded by a glass block wall.

Jack looked around and thought that something was amiss. This didn't figure with the layout of the house. It was too small an area. Sam looked around the wall and ceiling and noticed a button near the top of the wall. When she pressed it, the paneling slid to the side, revealing a doorway into a dark tunnel. A light switch was used to throw light into the black expanse and they cautiously made their way forward, down another set of steps into a sub-basement.

The first thing they noticed was the smell. It was an odor that they had found before and instantly knew what it was. The smell of blood, feces and urine hit them like a brick wall. Sam stopped, not sure she wanted to go any farther. Jack saw there was a door and slowly opened it. Inside they found a blood stained floor and a brown, damp, mattress.

"Oh, God," Sam exclaimed. "This must be where they kept Daniel." She look around the room but the only thing in here was the mattress.

"Okay, do you have the camcorder? I want everything documented from here forward. We're also going to need this for evidence."

Sam set her back pack down and got out the camera and went to work. She could hold her feelings in check for the time being. This didn't take long and when she was done, they headed farther into the tunnel.

Passing a small, plain bathroom, with only a stool and sink, both very dirty, they came across another door. They stood to either side as Jack turned the handle and slowly pushed the door in. It was pitch black in there but Teal'c found a light switch and flipped it and they all gasped at what was revealed.

A wooden table was in the center, with straps attached at the corners and sides. This room must be the one they saw on the tape. As they looked up, they noticed a rope with a hangman's noose off to the side. Continuing to look up and around, they were appalled to find blood stains on the floor. A hose was attached to a faucet on the wall near a large steel tub and a drain in the floor was making a dripping sound. Along the wall was a table with instruments on it. Torture devices to be more accurate. Jack recognized the zat guns, a staff weapon, heat stick, ribbon devices and the whip. On another table farther down was a car battery with jumper cables, hammers and nails, pliers, a bottle labeled, 'acid,' bottles of different poisons and an ax. And on yet another table on the opposite side of the room was a chain saw, with a bloody blade.

Sam turned around and ran for the bathroom they had passed. The distinct sound of retching could be heard and Jack was having a hard time not following her. Teal'c had turned pale and looked murderous as he glanced around the room and the horrors they had found.

Last, but not least, was a set of double doors at the end of the large room. As they opened it, they were hardly surprised to see the golden sarcophagus that Kinsey told them he had. It had undoubtedly been used to bring Daniel back to life, only to be tortured again and again by a truly insane mad man.

Jack had seen enough. He grabbed the cam corder and asked Teal'c if he could go check on Carter. Teal'c gladly left the room and Jack started recording what they had seen. After a few minutes, he was finished filming everything and left.

He met Sam and Teal'c outside the bathroom and noticed that Sam was white as a sheet and shaking visibly. Sam could see a look on Jack and Teal'c's faces and she hoped their rage would never be directed at her. If looks could kill, Kinsey didn't have a chance!

Sam said, "Jack, we can't let anyone get that sarcophagus. It's bad enough that Kinsey got his hands on it, and who knows how many times he put Daniel in it..." She closed her eyes for a moment at the thought of what happened to Daniel. It almost made her sick again but she said, "We can't let Kinsey have it back and we sure as hell can't let the NID get ahold of it."

"There is a staff weapon in the outer chamber. I can use that to destroy it." Teal'c was determined that it would never be used again, especially since this particular one was used on his friend.

"I know, Teal'c," O'Neill said, "but I'm afraid the NID will still get their hands on it and try to fix it. And, we can't leave that where the general public could see it. We'll blow it up. I think I have enough C4 in my pack to do the job." He reached into his pack and brought out the explosive. His face had an almost feral appearance to it. With determination he said, "I'll go take care of that thing and then we can get out of here."

He attached the C4 and the electronic fuse to the sarcophagus and then they headed upstairs and out the door. They stood in the drive, about 50 yards away from the house as Jack pushed the button and they heard a terrifyingly loud explosion take place inside. All the windows on the house blew out and the building seemed to jump.

"Holy Hannah, Jack! How much did you use?"

"I wanted to make sure."

Jack's radio came to life with the voice of Col. Reynolds asking if they knew what happened. Jack gave them an update and told all the teams to meet at the front gate.

They carefully went back toward the house and checked. The C4 had done the job and part of the interior of the house had collapsed into the sub-basement."

"I think we can safely say that nobody will be able to use that thing anymore."

Sam gave a sigh of relief and said, "Thank God!"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied stoically.

"Okay, Daniel's not here. Apparently, he got away and we have to find him before Kinsey does. Let's get everyone together and we'll start searching."

The SG teams checked the grounds and determined that the quickest way for Daniel to escape would be the wall at the back of the estate, near the tree. They could see the trail he left and started following it, hoping that they could get to him before Kinsey did.

They had to find Daniel and they had to find him fast!


	12. Chapter 11 Revelations

**Chapter 11 - Revelations**

Daniel woke up the next morning feeling frustrated. He was worried that Kinsey would find him here at the farm and hurt Angelique and her family but he was too weak to do anything about it. His fever was still fluctuating and even though he was tired, he couldn't sleep. So, he and Elise talked quietly.

She was surprised to learn that he actually had three doctorates and spoke many languages.

"Just how many languages do you speak, Monsieur Daniel? More than five?"

"Call me 'Daniel', please, and yes, more than five. More than 25, really." He watched her, curious how she would react. He hoped he didn't sound like he was bragging. He explained about his past, his education, career choice - pretty much everything he could without giving away anything classified.

Her eyes grew round with wonder. Surely, this man was extraordinary to have such talent and abilities. "So, are you a translator for some big company in the states?"

He smiled. "Something like that. What about you, Elise?" He slipped into French easily, not even thinking about it.

"I was married once but he found someone else so we divorced. I moved back here and I help with the garden and housework. Grandmama gets tired sometimes so I'm glad I came back."

"Is there a sweetheart somewhere, someone you date?" It was a fair question. She was young and pretty. Surely, she had someone special.

Elise blushed a bit and said, "No, I don't go out much. I'm content to stay on the farm."

"Don't you ever get lonely? You're a very beautiful woman. I'm surprised there aren't guys lined up at the door." It was Daniel's turn to blush. He hadn't meant to blurt all that out.

"Sometimes I get lonely. I have some friends that I occasionally meet for lunch or dinner. But, I'm almost 34, Daniel. Not old, but most of the men my age are already married or they are divorced and have a bad opinion of women. There aren't too many men around that I want to bother with."

"That's too bad." When he looked at her, he thought he understood what this woman was feeling. He didn't date either and there were times when he felt very lonely.

"Daniel, what happened to you? Who are you running from?"

He decided that he had to tell her a little about what Kinsey had done to him. He was so tired, that when he was finished talking, he dropped off to sleep.

Elise was now concerned for her family. 'What if that man comes here? What will they do?'

0 0 0 0

That afternoon, Daniel's fever spiked again. When Angelique checked on him, she grew alarmed. Daniel seemed a bit better yesterday and today. Why would he relapse?

When Henri came, he seemed very upset. When he listened to Daniel's heart, it sounded good, but his lungs sounded worse than before.

"This is going to take longer than we thought."

Elise told them the story Daniel had told her that morning. She said, "He told me that when he ran away, he had to swim downstream to escape the dogs. The water in the river must have been just above freezing, possibly still icy in places." She sat on the side of the bed holding his hand and asked the Doctor what they could do.

"It it weren't for you, he would be in the hospital. You two are giving him as much care as he'd get there."

"Grandmama, what if that man comes here?"

"He won't if we're careful. When Daniel is able to talk again, we'll ask him for a phone number for 'Jack,' and see if he can help."

After Henri left the room, Angelique asked Elise if she was okay. "I can see you've grown attached to him. Try not to worry. We'll do everything we can to help him."

0 0 0 0

Daniel dreamed: He was tied down on the table, wishing that Kinsey would just stop, already. He was so exhausted that he could barely open his eyes. Kinsey had been at it all morning and the old man never seemed to tire. He wasn't killing him this time, though. He was just punishing him, drawing it out for as long as he could, but not enough to kill Daniel. Just enough to make him miserable.

Daniel was on fire. He was burning and he couldn't get away. He screamed for help but nobody was listening.

0 0 0 0

Kinsey walked through this latest little town like a man on a mission. They had been searching for Daniel all night and part of today, checking out all the little villages surrounding the estate. He was tired but he didn't want to stop his search. He could not let Daniel get away and he would do whatever it took to find him. It was his right to punish him for what he'd done to him.

When he'd returned to the mansion in the evening, he'd found that somehow, it had been destroyed. He was forced to stay in the loft above the garage with the other men while they searched for Daniel. It must have been a gas leak that caused the house to blow up. Now, he would never be able to get Daniel back in there. The sarcophagus was buried under a few tons of wood, brick and plaster and he'd never get it out without causing suspicion. Any excavation crew would ask questions. Maybe later, he could get help digging it out of there but he didn't have time for that now. He had to find Jackson. But, that left a problem of what to do when they caught up with him. There was no way he could keep up the torture now, at least not like he'd done. He decided that he would have to kill him as soon as he found him.

He and the guards had gone from village to village handing around a picture and asking if anyone had see the man in it. Most people just shook their heads no. Others would look up at him, take in his glare, and turn away. They wanted nothing to do with him. He told them that the man in the picture was an escapee from a mental hospital and was very dangerous. If they would help find him, they would get a reward.

The only lead they had was one man, the cashier at the grocery store in a little town a few miles west of the mansion. He appeared to be very nervous when asked about the photo. Kinsey thought that maybe he had something to hide so he had one of his men ask around to find out who he was but nobody would tell them anything. Maybe they should go back and check again.

0 0 0 0

Elise never let go of Daniel's hand and she felt helpless. He was crying out for help but his voice was barely above a whisper and his breathing was labored. Occasionally, he would pull the oxygen tube off his face so they watched him to make sure he kept it on.

One moment he was sweating and trying to pull off his blankets and a few moments later he would be burrowed under the covers, chills making his teeth chatter.

Angelique took over his care earlier in the evening so that Elise could get some rest, even though she protested that she was fine and wanted to stay. Angelique promised her that when she went to bed, she would wake Elise. They agreed and both settled in for the night.

Elise laid in her bed, knowing that she had fallen hard for Daniel. 'This is ridiculous! I barely know him. I know nothing about his work. But I do know this... he is a kind hearted man. A good man. And I think I'm falling in love.'

After spending a restless night at the motel, SG-1 ate breakfast and made some phone calls. They had been looking for Daniel for days and still didn't have a clue to his whereabouts. After lunch, they decided to check and see if anything new had turned up in a town a few miles down the road. They were sure they were close to finding something out, just by the reactions of the townspeople. There were plenty of stares from the local people in the village as they made their way around, asking if anyone had seen Daniel and showing them the picture. Nobody would knew of him and soon they gave up. The rest of the SG teams, accompanied by Teal'c, headed back to the motel to grab a bite to eat and Jack and Sam went to a small cafe and ordered lunch.

The crowd around them watched them suspiciously. As they were finishing their meal, an older gentleman came to their table and sat down. Jack looked expectantly at him, hoping that he had some news about Daniel.

"I might be able to help you, Monsieur. I overheard you asking earlier about the man in the picture. I must tell you that you are not the only ones inquiring about him. There were others in our village a few days ago who were showing a picture of the same man. They said he was an escapee from a mental hospital and he was very dangerous. They offered a reward for information. But, of course, nobody here knows what they were talking about."

"And are you looking for a reward?" Jack asked, wondering why the man had come to him.

"Non, Monsieur. I have never seen the man in the picture before and even if I did, I would not ask for a reward for information. I thought the other group of men looked sinister. Maybe evil. Their leader looked deranged. I thought it odd that he said the other man was an escapee from the mental hospital when it seemed he was the one who had escaped."

"Why are you telling us this, then?"

"You do not look deranged. I heard you say that this man is your friend. I thought you should know that there were others looking for him. That you are not the only ones. I have a feeling it will not go well with your friend if they find him first." With that, he left.

After they ate, they headed to the local store to pick up a few items they would need at the motel. 'Come on Daniel. You've been gone almost 2 weeks now. Where the hell are you?' Jack was worried that maybe they were too late.

They noticed the cashier looked nervous as he gave them their change. As they were walking down the street with their groceries, Sam mentioned to Jack that she thought the cashier in the store was acting nervous.

"Yeah, he knows something. Let's get out of the way and follow him when he leaves." They walked down the road to the the park, covertly watching the store. When the grocer left, they got into their van and followed at a safe distance. They stopped when they saw him turn into the drive of an old farmhouse. Then they slowly drove by watching to see if anything was happening. They didn't notice anything so they called on their radios to the SG teams at the motel and gave them directions to the farm.

"Jack, if Daniel is in there, we need to go find out and take him home."

Jack said, "I know. And we will, but I want to set up a way to catch Kinsey, too. There's no telling what he would do if he found out that Daniel had been here and that these folks had helped him get away. I think I'll go to the door and see if they know anything. Come with me."

They both approached the door and knocked. A young woman answered and they introduced themselves.

"We wondered if you might have seen this man." Jack showed her the photo.

"You are 'Jack'?" she asked.

"Yes," O'Neill answered, looking puzzled.

"Monsieur, would you please come in?"

They did as she asked and she showed them to the bedroom where Daniel was sleeping. Angelique was sitting in a chair by the window and and Dr. Martins was checking Daniel's blood pressure. They both stood when Jack and Sam came into the room.

"This is my Grandmama, Angelique Trudeau. We found Daniel in the barn a few days ago and he's been very sick. He's called out for you but we didn't know how to contact you. This is Dr. Martins. He's been taking care of Daniel since we found him. Grandmama, this is Jack and Sam."

Angelique appraised the military man before her and said, "It is nice to meet you. How did you find us?"

Jack explained, "We figured it out by following a man here who worked as a grocer."

"That would be me." The man from the grocery store stood in the doorway. "I didn't mean to be so obvious. The other men were in town a few days ago but they left. They came back this morning and I think they suspect something. If you found us, it's likely they will, too."

Jack and Sam approached the bed and saw that Daniel was indeed, very sick.

"He has pneumonia and some other problems. His fever comes and goes like Malaria but I don't think that's it." Dr. Martins said, after shaking hands with Jack and Sam. "He was able to tell Elise that he had been held captive and tortured by someone. We were concerned that this other group would find him first. I'm glad you're here. He's been asking for you."

"Okay, then I have an idea. Dr. Martins, can you go into town and let it slip that you're taking care of Daniel, here at the farm?"

"Yes, I can do that."

"Good, Mrs. Trudeau, I want you and your family to gather some things. We're going to move you to the motel where we're staying at. You'll be safe there until this is all over."

"What about Daniel?" Elise asked.

"Jack?"

Daniel was awake and could hardly believe his eyes. They'd found him. He knew Jack wouldn't give up.

Jack approached the side of the bed and said, "Hey, Danny. I'm here. Not to worry. We've got everything covered."

"Wait, Jack. I've got to tell you what happened."

"I know what happened, Daniel. We went to the house and found that you'd been held prisoner there. We also found some video tapes."

"He taped it? Sam?"

"We only watched a few seconds, Daniel. It was enough." Sam held his hand and tried to comfort her friend. "We took the tapes for evidence. You don't have to worry. We'll catch him and he'll go to prison for the rest of his life."

"Daniel, here's what we're going to do." Jack told his friend the plan and it was decided to implement it as soon as possible. He then went out into the hallway and talked to Sam, telling her, "Look, he's in pretty bad shape. I want you to contact the SGC and have them ready for him. It's gonna be a few hours before we get there but that'll give them some time. Tell Dr. Lam to be prepared for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I know from experience that he's gonna need a lot of help. Also, have her read the file on when he got addicted to the sarcophagus before. She should know what to expect. I also want the teams to be ready but out of sight. It won't be long after Dr. Martins gets to town and starts talking, that Kinsey will show up. You know what to do?"

"Yes, we'll be ready."

They went back into the bedroom and asked Mrs. Trudeau and her family to be ready in 10 minutes. After that, Dr. Martins left for the village.


	13. Chapter 12 Confrontation

**Chapter 12 - Confrontation**

Kinsey had made his way into the loft of the barn, and was watching through the window, waiting for the right time to sneak inside the house. He had already had his men cut the phone lines so that they couldn't call for help. He wanted to run in there and hurt Jackson so badly, the anticipation fueled his anger and he was having a hard time being patient. By now, Daniel would not be in any shape to fight him off, too weak to defend himself. The old lady wouldn't be a problem and the young couple could be easily dispensed with. He would just kill them all and get them out of the way.

It was close to midnight when he made his move, his goal being the room with the light showing through, at the back of the house. That had to be the one Jackson was in.

He made his way alone across the back yard to the door, keeping in the shadows. He was so sure of himself that he had one of the guards waiting in the truck behind the barn, ready to take off at a moment's notice. The other guard followed him as he entered the back of the house. The door squeaked slightly so they stopped and listened for any indication that they had been heard by anyone. No sounds. 'Okay, step two: find Jackson.' The coat room was the first thing they encountered and the large kitchen was the first room at the right. They slowly made their way across the room, avoiding obstacles and taking in their surroundings. A large parlor was straight ahead and a hallway led off to the right. 'Okay, so far... so good.' Kinsey stopped to listen and found there wasn't any noise inside the house. They must all be asleep but he was confident that he could accomplish his mission without being caught, so he crept forward.

He hugged the wall and slowly crept toward the doorway, the guard behind him, waiting in the dining area. As Kinsey peeked around the door frame, he saw Daniel asleep in a bed on the far right of the room. Except for Jackson, the room was empty. He quietly stepped into the room and approached the bed. Dr. Jackson looked bad, obviously suffering the effects of sarcophagus withdrawal. Good, he wouldn't be in any shape to give him trouble.

He reached across the bed to unhook the IV when he heard a sound from behind him and quickly turned around to find Jack O'Neill standing in the corner with a gun aimed at him.

"Kinsey, old buddy, old pal. Fancy meeting you here!"

Kinsey spun around and couldn't believe his eyes as he saw O'Neill. How did O'Neill get in here without his seeing him?

Daniel had waited for Kinsey to turn toward Jack when he made his move. Seeing that Kinsey had a pistol tucked into the back of his waist band on his slacks, he reached forward and grabbed it. Kinsey felt his gun being taken from his waistband and froze.

He knew he was at a disadvantage, O'Neill in front of him with a gun, and Jackson behind him. And he wasn't exactly sure which man he should be the most afraid of. O'Neill clearly hated him but Jackson had been his victim and had suffered greatly at his hands. Out of the two, he'd be willing to put his money on Jackson.

"Turn around, you son of a bitch! I want to see your face when I kill you!" Daniel was shaking very badly and just itching the pull the trigger.

Kinsey turned around and saw that Daniel had the gun pointed at him. He thought that he could make his escape through the door if he played his cards right. He took a step back.

"Don't!" Daniel had a hard time holding the gun up. It felt like it weighed 20 pounds and his arm started to droop. The tremors were coming back and he had to act quick if he was going to do this.

Kinsey saw how weak Daniel was and said, "You don't have the guts, Jackson. You're nothing but a wimpy, weak-kneed scientist. I was able to kill you over and over again and you never fought back. You don't have the balls to pull the trigger."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kinsey. He's the one holding the gun and by the sounds of it, he's got every reason to be pissed off at you. He told me what you did to him. I wouldn't underestimate him, if I were you." Kinsey turned his head to look at Jack and saw him smile.

"Come on, Jack." He gestured toward Daniel. "You can see he won't do it. He's too weak and his hands are shaking so badly he couldn't hit the wall in front of him." Kinsey was laughing now, feeling fearless as he watched Daniel struggle to remain in control.

Jack couldn't believe how arrogant and stupid Kinsey was. He wasn't smart enough to be afraid.

Daniel pulled back the trigger very slowly. His hands were very unsteady but he gave it all he had.

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"Don't do it. Let the law take care of Kinsey. We can watch as they give him the lethal injection. It'll be my pleasure."

"No, Jack. I want to do this. I have to. He put me through hell and I have every right!" Daniel was starting to shout and his eyes were welling up in tears."

"I know you have the right, Danny. But, let's do this the right way, okay?"

Jack had moved forward and was standing off to the side so that he could see both Daniel's face and Kinsey's face. The gun was still trained on Kinsey.

Daniel was still shaking. He was starting to feel dizzy and knew that if he was going to kill Kinsey, he would have to do it very quickly. Sweat was making his eyes sting and he felt he might drop the gun. The image of Kinsey in front of him doubled and then started to spin. He pulled the trigger and heard the gun fire and the last thing he saw was the surprised look on Kinsey's face. Daniel passed out and fell backwards as the gun landed in the space between his knees.

Kinsey wasn't hurt but he was very surprised that Daniel had actually pulled the trigger. When he realized that Daniel had missed, he made a lunge forward to grab the gun but never got his hands on it.

The sound of Jack's P-90 taking a single shot toward Kinsey was deafening in the small space. Kinsey was holding onto the foot of the bed, trying to use the footboard to support himself and he realized what had just happened. He looked down at is chest, noticing the expanding red wet spot on the front of his shirt. Jack saw Kinsey's eyes rolled up into his head as he slumped lifelessly to the floor.

Jack reached forward to check for a pulse on Kinsey's neck and found none. Then he reached for his radio and called an all clear.

Jack stepped over to the bed and looked down at Daniel. 'Man, this is going to be one rough debriefing and I'm not looking forward to it.'

He radioed Sam, "Contact the motel and tell them to let the doctor, Mrs. Trudeau and her family know that it's all over. Someone there can drive them back here when we've cleaned up this mess."

"I already called, sir. They're waiting. Dr. Martins is with them and he'll be returning with them."

As Jack was talking, Daniel started coming to and was mumbling something about the blood and a 'box,' but nothing was clear. He was obviously still very sick and needed immediate emergency medical attention. He checked the pulse on Daniel's carotid artery and found it weak and irregular.

"Sam, get the medics in here, NOW! Danny needs help!"

He no sooner said it when the medics came running into the house, followed by Teal'c. One man checked Kinsey over and then pronounced him dead. The others gathered around Daniel's bed and Jack showed them the notebook with Dr. Martin's notes on what had been administered to Daniel and when. They took over with great efficiency and before long had him on a stretcher and headed out of the house with Teal'c taking point.

Sam met them in the yard and asked what had happened. As Jack told her, another group of medics carrying a stretcher and body bag with Kinsey inside made it's way out and toward one of the vans parked in the driveway.

Sam reported that they had the guard from the truck in custody and the other guards from the estate had been arrested and were already being taken to the airport for transport to Colorado. She then radioed the motel and notified them to bring back the Trudeau's.

Headlights illuminated the yard and military personnel moved about with determination, gathering together before getting ready to leave for the airport. The guard who had been with Kinsey was handcuffed and lying face down on the ground. One of the soldiers had a gun trained on him and he was cooperating, spilling his guts about Kinsey and everything that had happened, trying to convince the soldier that he was under pressure by Kinsey to do what was asked or Kinsey would kill him.

Sam looked at Jack and noticed the grim look on his face. They were all worried about Daniel, but she could see the strain had been particularly hard on Jack. Minutes later, Dr. Martins, Angelique and her family arrived just in time to gather around the gurney that Daniel was lying on.

Angelique then walked over to Jack and asked what happened after they had been taken to the motel. He told her what he could and assured her that Daniel would have the best medical care available anywhere. They would get back with her soon, letting her know how Danny was doing. She smiled and shook his hand. Then she walked back over to Daniel and leaned toward and whispered in his ear, "Daniel, it looks like you're going to be okay. Your friends have come to the rescue and you are going to go with them now."

Daniel's eyes fluttered and then opened, piercing blue eyes looked up into gray/blue ones and he smiled and whispered,

"Merci, Angelique vous avez sauvé ma vie."

Thank you, Angelique You saved my life."

"Ne savez pas ridicule, Daniel. Je n'ai fait rien. Vous concentré juste sur obtenir bien, oui?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Daniel. I didn't do anything. You just concentrate on getting well, yes?"

"Oui," Daniel answered. "Elise?"

"I'm here." She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're safe now. Your friends are taking you home. I'll miss you, Daniel." She leaned down and kissed him and then caressed his face.

He smiled then dropped off to sleep as the sedative he'd been given in the IV took over.

They loaded him into the back of the van as Jack took the driver's seat and started the engine. One soldier pounded on the back of the vehicle twice and it moved down the driveway and turned right, towards the small airport.

Elise watched as it disappeared down the road in the dark. This handsome stranger had left her shaken. Would she ever hear from him again?


	14. Chapter 13 Home

Chapter 13 - Home

Daniel went through a long period of recovery, many days where all he could do was lay in his bed in the infirmary and stare at the wall. Dr. Lam kept him on anti-depressants and she brought in Dr. Jennings, a Psychiatrist with security clearance to draw him out, but nothing seemed to work. Daniel had already talked with Jennings before on occasion so he was familiar with him, but he wasn't ready to open up.

She expected the muscle and bone pain. The nightmares were normal, under the circumstances. Eventually, the physical symptoms of withdrawal would end. But his emotional well-being worried her.

One morning, Jack stepped into her office and asked how Daniel was doing.

"I'm concerned, sir. Physically, he's fine. His serotonin levels are almost normal and all his vital signs are good. But, he rarely sleeps and he's very quiet. He's not snapping out of it." The concerned look on her face told O'Neill everything he needed to know.

"Would you like me to try talking to him?"

"You can try. He won't talk to me... ," Carolyn said with a sad smile.

0 0 0 0

Jack stood in the infirmary doorway, looking at the bed that held his best friend. _'How much could this guy take?'_ he wondered. _'He's the living soul of the SGC and he keeps getting hit with crap! Well, I hate to do this but it's time to shake him up a bit.'_

Daniel looked like he was sleeping but Jack knew better. He'd seen him unconscious enough times to know the difference and Daniel was definitely playing possum.

"Hey, Daniel. You don't have to act. I know you're awake."

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at Jack and then turned over and faced the wall. "Go away, Jack."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. Dr. Lam says you aren't cooperating. Come on, Danny, talk to me." Jack took a step closer to the bed that his friend was in and gently placed a hand on his arm.

Daniel flinched. "There's nothing to talk about."

Jack removed his hand but was surprised. Daniel had never flinched when he'd touched him before. It just wasn't like him.

"You got murdered, how many times? And you don't think there's something to talk about? Give me a break!" Jack waited but there was no response.

Daniel just continued to stare at the wall while Jack stood next to the bed watching him. He thought, _'Why won't he go away? I'm not ready to talk about this.'_

The silence wore on and finally Jack said, "Okay, Danny. Here's how it's gonna go down. If you don't talk to someone, you'll be off SG-1. I need you on my team and I don't want to replace you. Hell, I don't know if I can find anyone _qualified _to replace you. But, if you don't get past this, I'll be forced to. The 'powers that be' will demand it. And, here's something else to think about… if you don't conquer this, Kinsey wins. He'll have control of you from the grave. Is that what you want?"

Daniel hadn't thought about the fact that Kinsey would get great satisfaction if he knew he'd finally stopped him, that he'd finally torn apart SG-1, which is what he'd tried to do right from the beginning.

"It's your choice, Daniel. Are you gonna let him get away with that?"

Daniel looked at Jack for a long minute. He blue eyes stared into Jack's with an intensity that almost scared Jack. Finally, he sat up and said, "I want my journal. The one in my office in the desk drawer. I need to write this stuff down before I tell anyone about it"

"Okay. I'll get it. Anything else?" Jack was pleased to see a fire in Danny's eyes that hadn't been there in a long time.

"Can I have my life back?" Daniel looked down at his hands, teary eyed.

Jack walked over to him, placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder and said, "You'll get it back, Daniel. It won't be easy, but you don't have to do it alone. Okay?"

Daniel continued to look down but he wiped his eyes with his arm and nodded.

"Good. I'll be right back." Jack walked to the door, looked back at Daniel for a long moment and then left.

Daniel curled up on his side and watched him go, knowing Jack was right. He had to start dealing with this. But, he would do it on his own terms. The journal would help. He liked Dr. Jennings and was willing to let him help, if that's what it took. He sure as hell wasn't going to give Mackenzie the satisfaction of admitting him. Again! He wouldn't go without a fight! And, he wouldn't let Kinsey win!

0 0 0 0

Jack stopped in at Carolyn's office and said, "Doc, I think he's gonna be okay. He just asked me for his journal. He wants to write it all down."

She looked at him and smiled. Finally!

0 0 0 0

After Jack gave Daniel his journal and a pen, he headed over to Sam's lab. She was seated at her desk, writing her mission report from the rescue. As she looked up, she grew concerned. Jack had a very serious expression on his face and she wanted to know why?

"Is Daniel any better?"

"Well, I think he's made a turn for the better. I went in and told him to start talking or he was off the team. I finally got a reaction out of him. He's pissed but he asked for his personal journal and said he had to write things down first."

"Oh, good! That's definitely a step in the right direction."

"Something's bothering me though, Carter. When I went in there a while ago, before we talked, I touched his arm and he flinched." Jack looked at Sam with hurt in his eyes. "He's never flinched from being touched before, Carter. At least, not with me. It's like he can't stand to have anyone touch him."

"I think that's probably normal, Sir." Sam stood and walked around the table to stand in front of him. She held up two fingers and said, "For a little over two weeks, the only personal contact he had was torture." She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "They killed him , over and over again. I remember the devices we saw in the torture chamber. But, Kinsey and his goons didn't just kill him. They messed with his head, too. He's hurting pretty bad and it's gonna take time."

"Carter, if you'd seen him in that room at the farmhouse... it wasn't pretty. He was shaking and when he pulled the trigger... well, I can't say I blame him but it surprised me. Daniel's not a killer. He's not military so he hasn't had that kind of conditioning. Oh sure, over the last few years, he's killed enough Jaffa and Snakeheads to fill a phone book, but only when he had to. You know him - if he can talk us into laying down our guns, he'll do it in a heartbeat. What I saw in his face..."

"Sir, consider this... The sarcophagus changed him. Remember how he was after Shyla got him addicted? I do. He was in my lab a few days after we returned and he behaved like an arrogant s.o.b.. I knew at the time that he was under some sort of influence but it still hurt when he said the things he did. That wasn't the Daniel we know. Now, he's even worse than he was before, only different. When he pulled the trigger, he felt he had every right to kill Kinsey and couldn't wait to do it. That's not the Daniel we know, but can you blame him for how he felt? What that sarcophagus and the torture did to him was drop the gentle, caring side and replace it with a pissed off, vengeful killer. And, I'd be willing to bet my 401K that now he's feeling guilty and ashamed."

"Okay, I understand that, but how do we help him?" He sat down in the chair next to her desk. "How do we get the Daniel we knew before, back?"

"We don't give up on him, for one. We continue to touch him, to love him. He knows it in his heart but he needs to literally FEEL it. And we somehow get it through to him that we aren't going to judge him for what he did. The guy who wanted to kill Kinsey wasn't really Daniel."

"Okay, so you go first. It might be easier for him since you're a woman. Get over to the infirmary and start hugging him." Jack smiled. "And that's an order!"

Sam chuckled a bit. "I think I can handle that, Sir. No pun intended."

Jack snorted. Sam could always make him feel better. He hoped she could help Daniel. He stood up and looked down at her desk.

"Is that your mission report on his rescue?"

Sam went over to the desk and picked it up. "Yes. After I wrote it, I read it. It doesn't even get close to how bad it all was."

He reached for it. "Let me." He glanced through it and then handed it back. "I know what you mean. When you only write the facts and leave out the emotion, it seems kinda sterile, doesn't it?"

"My thoughts exactly." She sat it back on the desk and asked, "Are you going to ask Daniel to write one?"

Jack leaned against the desk and looked at her. "He's writing about what happened in his journal so that's good, but I almost hate to ask him to give an official report. I think Hammond is going to ask him for one, though. Even though it wasn't a scheduled mission, we need to have the facts documented. There has to be something officially said about what Kinsey did to him."

"Why don't you ask Hammond to leave it alone for a while. Our reports should be good enough for the time being. Give him a little time and then ask him what he thinks. Maybe he'll be ready later." She handed him back the file and said, "I'm finished with it."

Jack reached over and tapped her on the head with the folder and smiled. "Thanks. You're always so logical."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yeah, Sure, You Betcha!" he said with a grin and left for his office. She just smiled and went back to her work.

0 0 0 0

That afternoon, when Sam walked into the infirmary, she noticed that Daniel was looking up at the ceiling. He seemed to be studying it with great intensity and his journal was laying beside him on the bed.

"Hey, Daniel. What you lookin' at?" She smiled at him as he noticed her standing at the end of his bed. She reached over and gently caressed his foot under the blanket.

"I already counted, Daniel. There's 4,422 holes in the ceiling tiles on this side of the room."

"Hey, Sam." He gave her a slight smile. "I knew it was something like that."

She walked around to the side of the bed. "I'm kidding. I never counted them. Feel like going for a walk? Dr. Lam said I could spring you for a little while, if you want."

Daniel paused, gears turning behind his eyes, and sighed. "Actually, that sounds good."

"Great, it's a beautiful day up top. You won't' even need a coat." She held out his robe for him and helped him put it on, caressing his back as she did so.

On the surface, the sun was out and there was a warm breeze blowing in from the south. They found a large boulder to sit on where they could talk in privacy.

"Mmmm. It's good to get out of there and breathe some fresh air." Daniel took off his glasses and basked in the warmth, closing his eyes and turning his face toward the sunlight.

They sat like that for a few minutes, shoulders touching. She didn't want to break the mood so they were quiet for a while.

He thought,, _'This is nice. It's peaceful here'._ It felt good, sitting on the side of the mountain, feeling the warm breeze ruffle his hair.

Sam put her arm around his waist as she looked up at him and said, "Daniel, I'm worried about you. Dr. Lam says you aren't sleeping well and you still don't eat very much." She looked into his face, "Come on, talk to me. She gave him a smile.

Daniel looked into her eyes as his face grew serious. "I don't know what to say, Sam. I've been writing it all down but I'm kinda numb."

"Numb? I would think you'd be furious! Outraged! Kinsey brutalized you, Daniel. He murdered you over and over again. And you're numb?" She sat up straight and looked up at his face.

He didn't say anything. How could he explain it?

"Hey, Daniel, this is me. You've always been able to talk to me before. What's different?" She took his hand and held onto it, slowly caressing the top of his hand with her thumb. The long fingers on his right hand were tapping his knee, and she could feel the tension starting to build.

"It's was easier to try to forget." He looked down and frowned, obviously uncomfortable.

"Okay, but can you forget?" She looked up at his face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. _'Nightmares, that's why he won't sleep. Who could blame him?'_

There was a long pause. And then he whispered, "No." He tried to look at any place besides Sam but she put her right arm around his shoulders and then lifted his chin to look at her. Their eyes met and she just wanted to cry. He looked so lost. He tried to turn away but she held his face and whispered, "Tell me."

His eyes started to water and he nodded. He got up, shoved his hands in the pockets of his robe, and took a few steps and stopped, facing away from her.

But, when he tried to talk, the words wouldn't come out.

"Damn it, Daniel, what did he do to you?!" Sam shouted at him.

When he turned back around to face her, he said, "I keep thinking that if I don't say it, it won't be real. It's all a bad dream. It didn't really happen." He looked her in the eyes and said, "Sam, I don't know what you know about what happened. Did you know that I drowned? I was held underwater in a tank, by his men. I was also electrocuted." His voice was low and husky, as if he was choking, literally trying to get the words out.

He pointed to his neck, hands shaking badly and said, "He personally slit my throat, Sam. He opened me up and pulled my insides out, while I watched." I was hanged, I was shot..." Daniel stopped talking as he sat back on the ground, with his knees drawn up, arms wrapped around his legs, rocking himself back and forth.

"Oh, Daniel." The anguish on his face was tearing Sam apart.

"Overdosed. Disemboweled. Dismembered, Poisoned... Do you want to hear more?" His words were desperate, pleading. He looked at her, expecting her to run away.

Sam didn't want to hear it, but she knew she had to listen. She'd promised she would listen. She told him, "Go on."

"Every time he finished, when I was either dead or near to it, he put me in the box. When I woke up, he started all over. I lost count. I don't know how many times I died. It went on and on. It got to the point where I didn't want to live. I wanted him to kill me for good. But, he wouldn't. He kept bringing me back." Daniel was barely able to get the words out. His sobs punctuated each sentence.

Sam walked over and sat down next to Daniel and put her arms around him, wanting to comfort him and she held him as he quietly wept. She tried to soothe him but she could feel the tension in his shoulders and back. His fists were clenched and white knuckled as he hugged himself and he looked like he was going to explode! She whispered to him, "You'll be okay."

He turned toward her and said, "No. I'm not going to be okay. Don't you understand? I can't go back to who I was before." He stood up and started pacing back and forth, unable to stop moving.

"No, you can't go back. But, if you let this wreck your life, Kinsey will still win. From the grave ... he'll still have control. You can't let him, Daniel. You can't!"

Her desperate plea got through to him. He stopped pacing and said, "That's what Jack said. I wanted to kill him, Sam. The whole time I was there, I thought about ways to get even. When I finally held that gun in my hands and pulled the trigger, it felt so good. So damn right! When Jack told me what happened, I couldn't believe it. I was so sure I killed Kinsey." He looked away.

"Are you upset that you didn't?" She stood, moved next to him and placed her hand on the back on his shoulder.

He stared off into the distance and said, "At first I was. I thought I had the right to do it. But now, not really. Even though I didn't kill him, I feel like I did. I remember pulling the trigger. The result is still the same." He wiped the tears off his face and took a deep, shuddering breath and turned around to hug her and whispered, "And, that scares me, Sam. I'm not like that. What have I become?" He rested his chin on her head and sighed.

Sam held him and then looked up into his eyes. "You're still Dr. Daniel Jackson, and you're still my best friend, no matter what. You were pushed into a corner, Daniel. One you should never have been in." Tears started down her face. "You survived because you had to. And you did it the only way you could, even if it meant shooting that S.O.B.. I'll never look down at you for that and nobody here will either. We all love and respect you, Daniel. You can count on that."

He gazed into her eyes and saw acceptance reflected back. "Thanks, Sam. I wasn't sure what people would think when they heard that I'd actually pulled the trigger. I was afraid they would treat me differently. After all, he was the Vice-President, once."

"Are you kidding? Kinsey's been a pain in the SGC's ass since the beginning. I don't think anyone here is upset about what happened, Daniel. They probably figure that he got what was coming to him."

"Maybe." Daniel sat back down on the boulder, pulling her down next to him. "Here, sit down. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Oh, Daniel, friends can cry with each other. Don't feel bad about it."

"Yeah, I guess so. I've sure cried enough in front of you to know."

She reached around and rubbed his back and asked, "So, what do you want to do, Daniel?"

He sighed and leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I'm not sure, Sam. Jack said that as soon as I get the clearance, I can take a break. He wants me to get off the base for a little while. He said that he won't let me bury myself in my work. That it would be too easy to stuff everything and not deal with things if I did that. Personally, I think it would be good to do something normal for a while."

"Yeah, but you know what will happen. You'll dive into your work and it'll get easier and easier as the days go by to not deal with it."

"Probably." He sighed. She was right. That's exactly what would happen.

"How are things with Elise?" Sam noticed the look in Daniel's eyes at the mention of her name. It made her smile as he sat up straight and turned to her. _'There's still life in those beautiful eyes. She must be pretty special to make them light up like that.'_

"Good, actually. That's the only bright spot in this whole thing. I'd like to go back to visit when I'm out of here." He found that he missed her.

"Are you sure? I mean, a lot of bad things happened there."

He looked into her eyes and said, "Not at the farm, Sam. Not 'til the end, anyway. That was where we met and we talked for hours while I was laid up. I don't plan on going back to the estate. I never want to see that place again. But, I would like to see her again." He smiled and she smiled back.

"That's good. Ya know, I think you really are going to be okay, Daniel." She gave him a hug and then they went back to the infirmary. She was hopeful for the first time since they found him. Daniel was finally on the road to recovery. He was coming home.

0 0 0 0

The next day he started talking to Dr. Jennings.

It wasn't easy. It never was with Daniel. Even talking to Sam had been tough. But, it was a start.


	15. Chapter 14 Recovery

**Chapter 14 - Recovery**

The rental car came down the tree lined road, pulled into the drive and stopped next to the farmhouse. Daniel got out from behind the wheel and took a look around. He barely remembered what the place looked like. He only remembered seeing it at night while on a stretcher and somewhat sedated.

He walked up to the porch and stopped as Elise came out the door. She was wearing a pretty white summer dress with a red flower print on it. Her wavy hair framed her face beautifully and he looked at her and smiled. She smiled back when she saw him and said, "I barely recognize you, Daniel. You're actually standing." She laughed and he grinned back, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

He reached for her hand and said, "I've missed you, Elise. We've spent hours talking on the phone but it isn't enough."

"I know. It's not like having you here."

They embraced and held each other for a few moments.

"Oh, I almost forgot." He turned back to the car and took a bouquet of red roses out of the back seat.

"These are for you." He gently placed the bouquet in her arms.

She looked in wonder at the roses and exclaimed, "I've never gotten flowers before. My ex was too cheap!" She laughed and held them gently in her arms leaning in to smell them. Looking up into this eyes, she said, "Thank you, they're beautiful."

Daniel grinned and said, "I have some for your grandmother, too. Is she here?"

"Yes, she's lying down. I'll go get her."

"No, let her rest. They'll keep. I got them from the local florist so they're still fresh."

As they went inside, she said, "She was really glad when I told her you were coming for a visit. She's been cooking all day. I hope you're hungry. There's a roast in the oven with all the fixings and she baked 3 different kinds of pie."

"It smells great. I wish she hadn't gone to all the trouble, though. She must be worn out."

"She wanted to do it. She'll be up soon and dinner should be ready in an hour."

Daniel followed her into the kitchen and watched her try to open a cupboard above the refrigerator. When he saw she couldn't quite get it, he said, "Let me," and brought the vase to her, and as she reached for it, their hands touched and they stopped and looked into each other's eyes.

He took the vase from her and set it on the kitchen counter, next to the flowers. Then he turned back and reached for her, and kissed her passionately until they were both breathless. When they finally stopped, she said, "Wow!"

"Yeah, wow!" He grinned and she smiled back at him and blushed.

She turned to arrange the flowers and set them on the dining room table.

'I can't believe he came back to see me. And that kiss... I feel like a school girl, again." Her mind was in turmoil.

"Can we take a walk?" Daniel asked, wanting to spend some time alone with her to get reacquainted.

"I'd like that." She took his hand and they headed for the lane that went past the fields of hay and barley. It felt so good to see him and talk without fear or illness affecting them.

He thought her smile was beautiful. Her hands were soft and warm and he loved how the wind blew strands of her hair around her face.

They stopped at the top of a hill and took in the vista. "Beautiful," Daniel said.

"Yes, I've always liked to come up here and look at the view."

"I wasn't talking about the landscape. I was talking about you." Daniel pulled her close and kissed her, holding the back of her head with one hand and caressing her back with the other. 'She tastes like vanilla and coffee.'

She pulled away, trying to regain control of her rapidly beating heart. "Daniel, let's take it slow. We've got two weeks!" She giggled and he grinned as their foreheads met.

'Okay, I'll slow down. I'm sorry." He blushed and looked down at the ground and then looked up at her and grinned.

She gave him a quick kiss and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you to my horses."

0 0 0 0

After they got back to the house, Daniel got the flowers out of the car and they went inside to see Angelique. When she saw him, she almost leapt out of her easy chair. They hugged each other and then he gave her the roses. She fussed over them as if she'd never seen yellow roses before and thanked him profusely. Dinner was wonderful and afterwards Daniel helped Elise with the dishes. Then they sat around the table and played Euchre, a card game that Daniel was unfamiliar with but he soon caught on and he and Elise made a great team against her brother and grandmother.

It was quite late when he told her he should get going. They were sitting together on the wooden porch swing, gently rocking back and forth.

"Would you like to go horseback riding tomorrow, Daniel?"

"Sure, although it's been a while since I've been on a horse."

"I promise that we won't ride all day and we'll rest whenever you want to. Sleep as late as you like and then come here for breakfast."

"Okay, sounds like fun." They kissed and said their goodnights and then he headed for the motel, humming a tune all the way back.

0 0 0 0

The next day was almost storybook perfect. It was sunny and warm with a slight breeze blowing. They rode for a while and headed for a meadow where the horses could wander and graze. Earlier in the day, she had drove out here and left a picnic lunch under a large maple tree, everything secured in containers inside a cooler. When he saw the cooler, he said, "Hey, look what the elves left for us." She laughed and explained that it was easier this way than trying to carry a lunch on a horse.

He hadn't spoken French so much for so long but he fell right into it and enjoyed the whole experience.

They spent the whole afternoon sitting under the shade tree, riding the horses or walking hand in hand and they talked about everything. He told her about his experiences as a child in foster care. She told him about her parents dying in a car crash when she was in high school and of her late grandfather and he could see that she'd cared for him a great deal. The subject came up about their experience while he was here the last time - how they felt about it all and each other. They were both nervous at first but decided that a friendship was a great place to start a relationship.

He explained that he worked for the Air Force.

"I figured that out. At least, the military part. All the soldiers showing up here gave me a clue that they weren't all just your friends. Okay, so what, are you a major or a colonel or what?"

"Oh, nothing like that. I'm not a member of the Air Force. I'm a civilian consultant. I work with them and for them, but I'm not enlisted personnel."

"Really? An archeologist working for the U.S. Air force? Something tells me that there's more to it than that, but I have a feeling you can't tell me. That's okay." She smiled at him and he grinned back at her.

'Oh boy, she great! How did I get this lucky to find her?'

0 0 0 0

He took her to Montreal a couple of times for dinner and to visit the museums. The went to the zoo. They spent their days just having a lot of fun.

Before he knew it, his two week vacation was nearing an end and he still felt like he'd just arrived, the time went so fast. He hated saying goodbye to Angelique and Robert but it was nothing compared to how he felt about saying goodbye to Elise. He invited her to come to Colorado Springs to visit, which she promised to do.

They stood outside, next to his car, and he found he couldn't leave. He was thoroughly besotted and unable to get into the car and drive away.

"I don't want to go," he said, kissing her and then caressing her bottom lip with his thumb. He felt like this was another addiction, this being with her, and he didn't want to find a cure. He kissed her again and she had tears in her eyes as she kissed him back.

"We can still talk and write, like we have been. I'll visit," she said, caressing his face.

They held each other, not wanting to let go.

He pulled back, held her by each shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Come with me, now. Talking on the phone and writing just isn't enough. Please, come with me."

She looked at him and asked, "Are you serious? What will I tell grandmama?"

"The truth, of course. I think she'll understand. Haven't you seen the looks she's been giving us?. Every time I came here to the house, she would make some excuse to do something so that we could be alone. I honestly don't think this is going to surprise her. And we'll come and visit as often as we can."

"Are you sure?"

"About this? Yes! I'm tired of being alone. The last few weeks have shown me how alone I've been all my life. Except for the year I had with my wife, I've had to depend on myself for everything. I didn't have anyone to lean on. I'm tired of it. We're good together, Elise. We fit."

"Yes, but Daniel, I don't know that much about you. And you don't know that much about me."

"I know, it sounds like we're going too fast but I feel like I've known you for years. I knew my late wife one day before we were married. I've already known you for a lot more than that. And this isn't just about my being lonely. Or, you being lonely, too, for that matter. I like you. I'm in love with you."

"I love you, too." She paused as she looked at him. "I'll need to pack a bag." Her face glowed with happiness, and then her eyes widened as she said, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"

When they went inside to tell Grandmama, she smiled. "This is good news. I noticed that you two spent many days and nights talking while you were ill, Daniel. When you came here two weeks ago, I knew. You two are meant for each other. So, you have my blessing. Don't worry about things here. Elise. You know your brother has been seeing someone and I have a feeling I'm going to see some great-grandchildren running around here soon. I'll have plenty of help here on the farm."

Elise wen to her room to pack while Daniel excused himself and went outside to make a phone call.

"Jack! I'm on my way back and I'm bring Elise with me."

"What? You barely know her, Daniel. Are you sure about his?"

"Yes, as sure as I've ever been about anything! I know there's some problems to work out with my job and security and all, but I know this is right."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first member of the SGC to have a relationship with someone and still have to keep your work under wraps."

"Right. Do a security check if you want to, but I don't think you'll have a problem with her."

"I doubt I will. Daniel, you sound happy. For the first time in a long time."

"I am. I really am. Hey, our flight leaves in a few hours and we still have to get a few loose ends tied up and get to the airport. Uh, is there going to be any problem getting her into the states?"

"Well, I've got a few strings I can pull. I'll call you back in a bit and let you know."

"Okay, thanks."

0 0 0 0

They walked out to the car and Daniel put Elise's luggage in the trunk. She hugged Robert and he assured her that he would take care of Grandmama.

Daniel gave Angelique a big hug.

"Take good care of her, Daniel. Make her happy." Angelique smiled.

Daniel smiled back and promised he would do his best. Elise hugged and kissed her grandmother and promised to call when she got to Colorado.

As they were driving down the road, she waved goodbye out the window. Then she turned to Daniel and smiled. He watched her and grinned, thinking about how lucky he was.

"Daniel, I just thought of something. I don't have a passport."

"It's okay. I talked to Jack while you were packing. He made a few calls and you've already got a security clearance."

"Okay, so now what?"

In answer, he pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.

Then he gave her a wicked grin and said, "How does Elise Jackson, sound to you?"

She gave him a long, passionate kiss and when they finally came up for air, he said, "I'll take that as a 'yes'!"

**The End**

**Author's Note: **Okay, REVIEWS PLEASE. Come on, you know you have an opinion.


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